1GH-LIGHTS 


TO-LARG€R<SIGHT 
TH6-RIM-OF- SHKDOV/ 
lS-TH£-L!Ne- OF -LIGHT 


*Sfea=§s*<*ffi 


HIGH-LIGHTS 


To  larger  sight 
The  rim  of  shadow  is  the  line  of  light. 

T.  W.  PARSONS. 


BOSTON  AND  NEW  YORK 
HOUGHTON,  MIFF.LIN  AND  COMPANY 

(3Tfe  Ittoersi&e  £««'»,  <£aml>riD0e 

1886 


Copyright,  1885, 
BY  IIOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  &  CO. 

All  rig/its  reserved. 


The  Riverside  Press,  Cambridge  : 
Eleetrotyped  and  printed  by  II.  0.  Houghton  &  Co. 


TO  MY  HUSBAND. 


HIGH-LIGHTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

"  We  thus  begin  with  the  beginning." 

OWEN  MEREDITH. 

IT  was  a  little  room,  not  more  than 
twelve  feet  square,  up  in  the  topmost  cor 
ner  of  a  big  brick  building.  Out  from  its 
one  window  you  looked  down  into  a  narrow, 
dirty  court  where  old  orange-peelings  and 
fragments  of  weather  -  beaten  newspaper 
found  quiet  refuge,  or  across  to  another  big 
brick  building,  the  windows  of  which  were 
so  coated  with  dust  and  smoke  that  it  was 
as  impossible  to  discover  what  lay  behind 
them  as  it  is  to  read  in  certain  unrevealing 
eyes  the  soul  that  never  shines  through. 

The  room  itself  was  like  a  little  oasis 
amid  the  wide,  tiresome  desert  of  mercan 
tile  life  ;  or  like  a  quiet,  green  island 
around  whose  rocky  base  the  waves  of  traf 
fic  curled  and  foamed  and  broke  with  a 
i 


2  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

low,  distant  monotone  more  soothing  than 
utter  stillness.  Its  four  walls  were  hung 
with  framed  and  unf rained  canvases  :  bits 
of  Nature,  arrested  by  Art ;  stretches  of 
meadow -land  where  cows  were  feeding; 
shady  wood-openings  where  the  brown  earth 
lay  cool  and  moist,  and  the  rough  cart-paths 
lost  themselves  among  low-hanging  boughs. 
One  could  almost  walk  on,  round  the 
painted  turnings,  to  find  what  lay  beyond. 
There  were  river  -  windings  and  roadside 
pools,  soft,  white  winter  scenes,  and  bril 
liant  autumnal  bits  ;  while  here  and  there 
peeped  out  a  flower  study  or  scene  of 
animal  life,  —  not  pansies  nor  roses,  nor 
sleek,  well-kept  dogs  and  horses  ;  but  scar 
let  cardinal  flowers,  and  tangled,  blossomy 
clematis,  and  little,  wild,  shy-footed  things 
that  never  wittingly  had  stayed  for  brush  to 
sketch  them. 

Yet  it  would  hardly  seem  that  art  was 
here  followed  as  a  profession,  for  no  easel 
was  to  be  seen  ;  and  that  air  of  picturesque 
untidiness  which  invariably  pervades  the 
studio  was  totally  lacking ;  while,  most  con 
vincing  proof  of  all,  instead  of  the  clear, 
cold  light  that  artists  love,  there  poured  in 
through  the  open  window  a  flood  of  June 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  3 

sunshine,  tempered  by  the  soft  June  breeze 
that  gently  stirred  the  painted  paper  shade. 

In  ©ne  corner  of  the  room  a  small  study- 
table  was  covered  with  books  and  papers  ; 
in  another  a  round  light-stand  held  a  huge 
china  punch-bowl  heaped  with  wild-flowers  ; 
out  from  a  third  opened  a  narrow  door-way 
into  what  was  evidently  a  bed-room  beyond  ; 
and  in  the  fourth  stood  a  violin  case.  Two 
curiously  carved  chairs  of  English  oak  com 
pleted  the  simple  furnishing. 

Across  one  of  these  latter  was  thrown, 
carelessly,  a  gentleman's  coat.  Across  the 
other  was  thrown,  almost  as  carelessly,  the 
gentleman  himself.  That  he  was  a  gentle 
man  was  evident  at  first  sight,  notwithstand 
ing  the  shirt-sleeves  and  lounging  posture  ; 
and  when  once  that  has  been  said  there 
really  seems  little  more  to  add,  unless  it  be 
to  note  the  color  of  his  eyes,  which  was 
gray  ;  or  of  his  hair,  which  was  brown ;  or 
to  reckon  up  the  years  of  his  life  and  give 
them  in  round  numbers  as  —  nine  and 
twenty,  say. 

Sundry  articles  on  the  floor  beside  him, 
such  as  a  water-proof  coat,  wrong  side  out 
and  compactly  folded ;  an  open,  freshly 
stocked  color-case  with  supply  of  brushes 


4  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

near  by  ;  an  immaculate  linen  blouse  whose 
multifarious  pockets  were  portly  with  un 
seen  deposits ;  and  various  minor  articles, 
among  which  strayed,  conspicuous  and 
snake-like,  a  stout  buff-leather  shawl-strap, 
indicated  previous  exertion  ;  while  the  close 
proximity  of  a  shiny  new  Railway  Guide, 
with  a  black  locomotive  steaming  briskly 
into  space  on  its  yellow  cover,  seemed  to 
point  unmistakably  to  an  impending  start  of 
some  sort. 

Meantime  the  man  who  was  to  make  the 
start  sat  leisurely  consulting  his  note-book, 
adding  to  or  subtracting  from  its  penciled 
memoranda  here  and  there  as  the  case 
might  be.  And  his  face,  seen  thus  in  re 
pose,  wore  the  grave,  steadfast,  almost  stern 
look  of  a  man  who  has  his  own  way  to  make 
in  the  world,  and  means  to  make  it. 

As  he  jotted  down  the  last  entry  and 
closed  the  book,  there  came  a  sound  of 
quick,  springing  steps  over  the  stairs  with 
out,  and  another,  much  younger  man  ap 
peared  in  the  door-way.  With  the  bright 
smile  of  greeting  which  Conrad  Faulkner 
flashed  upon  his  friend,  every  trace  of  stern 
ness  was  swept  away,  and  the  firm  lips  grew 
strangely  sweet. 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  b 

"  Just  in  time,  Terry  !  I  must  be  off  in 
an  hour.  Sit  down,  if  you  can  find  any 
thing  to  sit  on,  while  I  write  a  few  lines 
to  Hegemann." 

Terry,  otherwise  Chester  Jackson,  drew 
forward  the  other  chair,  tossing  the  gray 
coat  unceremoniously  down  on  the  before- 
mentioned  pile  at  his  feet ;  and,  seating  him 
self  astride  its  faded  crimson  cushion,  rested 
his  folded  arms,  with  his  chin  upon  them, 
across  the  carved  back  and  proceeded  to 
wait,  quietly,  until  the  other  should  have 
done. 

The  two  faces  thus  opposed  to  each  other, 
though  both  pleasant  and  goodly  to  behold, 
were  very  different.  That  of  the  new 
comer,  while  it  lacked  the  firm  maturity  of 
his  companion's,  yet  had  a  charm,  all  its 
own,  in  the  fresh  look  of  frank  boyishness 
which,  from  the  laughing  dark-blue  eyes  to 
the  smoothly  rounded  chin,  was  its  pervad 
ing  characteristic.  And  the  other,  though 
gifted  less,  perhaps,  with  positive  beauty, 
bore,  stamped  clearly  and  unmistakably 
upon  its  every  feature,  that  look  which  is  so 
far  beyond  any  mere  accident  of  form  or 
coloring,  —  the  look  of  a  man  who  lives 
from  high  motives,  worthily.  The  one 


b  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

was  a  youthful  David,  going  forth  light- 
hearted  and  confident  —  perhaps  the  merest 
trifle  over-confident  —  to  do  battle  with  that 
tough  old  Goliath,  the  World.  The  other, 
a  strong,  calm  Michael,  already  wrestling 
in  the  thick  of  the  fight,  but  borne  up  by 
those  two  mighty  wings  of  which  Thomas  a 
Kempis  tells  us,  and  beating  down  Satan 
under  his  feet. 

Among  their  mutual  acquaintances  it  was 
considered  rather  a  queer  thing  that  these 
two  should  be  such  close  friends.  One,  a 
man  near  thirty,  traveled,  well-read,  a 
writer  himself  of  reviews  and  leading 
articles  for  prominent  periodicals ;  already 
rising  by  his  own  merit  and  exertion  to  a 
front  place  in  literary  ranks  ;  giving  him 
self  no  leisure  and  but  little  rest  save  as  he 
fled,  now  and  then,  for  a  couple  of  months 
to  the  wilderness,  with  his  paint-pots  and 
brushes,  to  be  lazy  in  the  way  he  liked  best. 
The  other,  a  boy  of  twenty-three,  barely  out 
of  college,  with  no  discernible  ambition  be 
yond  having  a  good  time,  and  spending  his 
snug  little  income  (of  which  the  principal 
was  safely  tied  up,  under  the  control  of  his 
grandfather  for  two  years  to  come  ;  Master 
Terry  mean  time  being  bound,  whether  he 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  1 

liked  or  no,  to  serve  in  the  capacity  of  clerk 
in  the  former's  counting-room)  "  like  a  gen 
tleman." 

Perhaps  it  was  because  of  just  this  total 
unlikeness,  each  finding  his  complement 
in  the  other  ;  perhaps  it  was  because  their 
first  meeting,  two  years  before,  had  been  in 
the  dreary  parlor  of  a  little  out-of-the-way 
German  inn,  where  the  face  of  a  fellow- 
countryman  was  like  a  star  in  a  cloudy 
night ;  or  perhaps  it  was  because  of  some 
thing  lying  latent  under  all  Terry's  youth 
and  nonsense  that  other  people  were  too  ob 
tuse  to  discover.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the 
friendship  stood,  and  came  to  be  cause  and 
revealer  of  much,  both  in  lives  and  charac 
ters,  that  might  otherwise  have  lain  dor 
mant  or  never  come  to  pass. 

The  brief  note  was  soon  written  and 
sealed,  and  Conrad  Faulkner  turned  once 
more  to  his  friend. 

"  Well,  Terry,  my  boy,  what  luck?  does 
the  old  gentleman  relent  at  all  ?  " 

"  Relent  ?  "  echoed  the  other,  morosely, 
"  not  he.  Catch  him  relenting !  I  put  my 
foot  down,  too,  though,  this  morning.  He 
can't  cheat  me  out  of  my  vacation  entirely. 
I  told  him  I  should  go  when  Harding  got 
back,  anyhow." 


8  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

"  What  did  he  say  to  that  respectful  an 
nouncement  ?  " 

"  Growled  fearfully.  And  old  Crabbe 
vowed  he  'd  send  for  me  if  business  picked 
up.  Business  won't  pick  up,  though,  and 
I  can  stand  the  growling.  But  I  've  got  to 
wait  till  July." 

"  All  right.  Then  we  '11  wait.  I  can 
take  a  run  down  into  Maine,  and  meet  you 
in  Boston  later." 

"  No,  you  can't.     Read  that !  " 

"  That  "  was  a  letter  which  Terry  drew 
from  his  breast-pocket  and  threw  across  to 
Conrad,  who  was  now  down  on  his  knees 
engaged  in  a  desperate  struggle  with  the 
buff -leather  shawl-strap  aforesaid,  which  had 
turned  obstinate  at  the  last  moment,  as  such 
unreasoning  things  -will,  and  refused  to  give 
way  so  far  as  to  buckle  where  it  was  wanted 
to  do. 

"  In  a  minute.  Just  toss  me  that  pen 
knife,  will  you  ?  I  must  make  a  new  hole 
here." 

This  being  done,  and  the  contrary  strap 
fastened  securely,  the  victor  seated  himself 
upon  his  prostrate  foe,  and  picking  up  the 
envelope  proceeded  to  make  himself  ac 
quainted  with  its  contents. 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  9 

HIGIIFIELD  FARM,  OCKLEY,  N.  H., 
June  6,  18—. 

DEAR  NEPHEW  TERRY,  —  It  is  a  disap 
pointment  to  both  Robina  and  myself  that 
you  cannot  visit  us  at  present.  Doubtless, 
however,  your  grandfather  has  his  reasons  — 
and  good  ones  —  for  requesting  you  to  post 
pone  it.  A  man  in  his  responsible  position 
must  drive  carefully.  Business  is  a  clumsy 
vehicle,  and  the  wheels  will  not  run  under. 
But  even  if  you  must  wait  till  next  month, 
why  cannot  Mr.  Faulkner  come,  as  agreed  ? 
Since  learning  from  Classmate  Green  that 
he  is  the  son  of  my  old  friend  Dick  Faulk 
ner,  I  have  experienced  a  great  desire  to 
meet  and  talk  with  him  ;  and  earnestly  wish 
that  he  would  consent  to  waive  all  ceremony, 
and  come  up  at  once.  Robina  and  I  are 
not  gay  people  exactly,  but  Ockley  in  itself 
will  go  far  with  a  man  of  his  tastes  ;  and  for 
the  rest  —  we  will  try  to  keep  him  content 
until  you  arrive  at  least. 

Urge  this  matter,  my  boy,  and  tell  Mr. 

F ,  with  my  best  regard,  that  we  shall 

depend  upon  seeing  him  at  the  time  origi 
nally  fixed. 

Affectionately  yours, 

ISAAC  N.  GARY. 


10  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

"  Well  ? "  interrogated  Terry,  just  a  bit 
impatiently. 

"  Well,"  repeated  Conrad,  slowly. 

"  What  do  you  say  ?  I  'm  to  '  urge,'  you 
know.  Just  consider  yourself  urged,  will 
you  ?  and  give  a  fellow  your  decision.  Say 
yes  and  be  done  with  it !  " 

"  That  is  easy.  Easier  than  it  would  be 
to  say  no.  One  could  not  well  refuse  such 
an  invitation,  even  if  one  wanted  to,  which 
I  do  not.  You  're  a  lucky  dog,  Terry,  to 
have  two  such  homes.  Some  people  would 
be  thankful  for  one." 

"  Some  people  are  n't,  Con  Faulkner,  then, 
for  he 's  the  hardest-mouthed  mule  where 
sociability  is  concerned  that  ever  I  tried  to 
drive.  "  You  know,  Con,"  he  added,  gravely, 
for  his  friend's  homelessness  always  touched 
a  tender  spot  in  his  boy  heart,  "  you  know  I 
am  always  ready  to  go  shares  with  you  in 
everything  ;  but  you  '11  never  budge." 

"  I  'in  budging  now  with  a  vengeance,  if 
only  I  don't  '  live  to  regret  it.'  That  used 
to  be  my  Aunt  Hetty's  favorite  threat  when 
ever  I  ventured  to  indulge  in  a  youthful 
lark.  '  You  '11  live  to  regret  it,  child  !  ' 
And  to  tell  the  truth  I  have  lived  to  regret 
most  of  the  times  when  I  have  ventured  to 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  11 

crawl  out  into  other  people's  sunshine  for  a 
bit.  The  crawling  back  is  not  so  pleasant. 
Nothing  deepens  the  shadows  in  a  picture 
like  throwing  out  a  few  high-lights." 

"  Are  n't  you  rather  putting  the  cart  be 
fore  the  horse,  old  man?  I  always  thought 
you  painters  threw  out  your  lights  by  deep 
ening  the  shadows." 

"  That 's  the  lingo,  certainly,  and  it 's  a 
poor  rule  that  does  n't  work  both  ways  ;  but 
you  must  have  your  light  first,  or  you  may 
whistle  for  your  shade." 

"  Moral  —  take  care  not  to  stand  in  your 
own  light  if  you  don't  want  to  see  shadows. 
You  're  on  the  right  tack  this  time,  Con  ; 
it's  all  '  high  -  lights  '  at  Ockley.  Con 
found  it  all  though  !  "  he  exclaimed,  waxing 
wrathful  again  over  his  wrongs  ;  "  it 's  shady 
lines  for  me.  I  never  intended  getting  left 
when  I  planned  the  business,  all  so  fine !  " 

"  Assuredly  I  never  intended  you  should 
when  I  agreed  to  it,"  laughed  his  friend. 
"  Cheer  up,  Terry !  July  is  bound  to  come, 
and  Miss  Robina  will  be  doubly  glad  to  see 
you  after  a  surfeit  of  your  humble  servant 
and  his  traps.  Elderly  ladies  don't  usually 
take  kindly  to  having  their  spare  room  lit 
tered  up  with  truck  of  this  sort."  And  he 


12  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

indicated  the  surrounding  art  collection  with 
a  sweep  of  his  arm. 

Terry's  eyes  flashed  and  twinkled. 

"  Cousin  Rob  —  ina  is  not  to  say  elderly, 
exactly.  I  guess  you  never  heard  me  say 
very  much  about  her,  Con." 

"  Very  little  beyond  the  fact  that  she  keeps 
house  for  your  uncle  and  is  Lady  Bountiful 
to  the  parish  at  large.  A  whole-souled, 
motherly  sort  of  person,  I  take  it,  with  a 
decided  leaning  toward  her  graceless  young 
cousin." 

Terry  grinned. 

"Well,  Con,  if  those  are  your  precon 
ceived  notions,  it  would  be  a  pity  to  spoil 
them,  so  I  '11  say  nothing.  Only  —  if  she 
does  n't  prove  quite  as  '  motherly '  as  you 
expect,  don't  blame  me." 

"  No,  I  '11  praise  you.  That  will  be  the 
surest  way  to  get  into  her  good  graces.  It 
will  take  all  your  virtues  to  cloak  my  sins." 

"  I  'm  not  so  sure  of  that  as  I  wish  I 
were,"  murmured  Terry  to  the  chair-back. 
But  he  hastened  to  add,  with  a  mischievous 
glance  at  Conrad,  "  Praise  up  the  gray  cat 
and  the  pot-pie  if  you  want  to  make  your 
self  popular.  Uncle  Ike's  housekeeper  is 
a  tip-top  cook." 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  13 

"  An  excellent  thing  in  woman.  What 's 
the  time,  Terry  ?  I  must  hurry." 

"  Quarter  to  four,  by  Jove  !  Some  one  else 
must  hurry  too,  I  reckon,  or  be  late  to 
dinner.  Good-by,  old  man.  You  hang  on 
there  till  July,  and  I  '11  be  on  hand  —  Prov 
idence  and  old  Crabbe  permitting.  I  '11 
write  the  Dominie  to  -  night  and  tell  him 
your  're  coming.  Take  care  of  yourself, 
Con,  and  leave  the  keys  with  Rooney,  will 
you?  I  like  to  run  in  sometimes,  though 
the  place  seems  like  an  old  tomb  when  I  'm 
alone  in  it." 

The  merry  face  was  grave,  and  the  grave 
face  smiling  as  the  two  friends  grasped  each 
other's  hands.  Yet  somehow  the  smile  held 
as  much  of  regret  as  the  gravity. 

Two  days  later  Conrad  Faulkner  was 
mounting  the  stairs  of  a  down-town  Boston 
building,  the  front  of  which  fairly  bristled 
with  wooden  signs  and  lacquered  tin  strips 
innumerable.  Two  long  flights  were  trav 
ersed  rapidly  and  without  hesitation  ;  at  the 
foot  of  the  third  he  paused,  thought  a  mo 
ment,  turned  sharp  to  the  left,  and  walked 
along  the  narrow  corridor  to  a  door  at  the 
extreme  end  which  bore  upon  its  brass 
plate  the  inscription  — 


14  HIGH-LIGHTS. 


BENJAMIN  THACHER 

COUNSELLOR   AT   LAW. 


A  deep  voice  called  "Come  in! "in  an 
swer  to  his  knock  ;  but  before  he  could 
turn  the  knob  the  door  flew  back  on  its 
hinges,  and  a  sturdy  little  old  gentleman 
with  a  gray  head  sprang  out,  like  a  Jack-in- 
the-box,  and  seizing  the  young  man  in  his 
arms  hugged  him  with  a  vehemence  that 
would  have  done  credit  to  a  brown  bear. 

"  Thought  't  was  your  knock,  boy.  Come 
in  —  come  in !  there  's  your  chair  waiting 
for  you.  Got  telegram,  all  right,  at  eleven. 
Mighty  glad  to  get  it  too.  Bless  my  stars, 
you  're  just  the  same  old  sixpence !  Put 
your  traps  down  in  the  corner.  I  '11  be 
ready  in  twenty  minutes,  and  then  we  '11  go 
home  to  dinner.  I  've  corn  four  inches  high 
already,  and  you  never  tasted  such  lettuce 
and  peas  as  I  can  give  you  in  your  life  ! 
Now  make  yourself  comfortable,  and  don't 
speak  a  word  to  ine  till  I  get  out  of  this 
snarl." 

Conrad  laughed  and  obeyed  ;  \vhile  he  of 
the  gray  head  plunged  deep  into  the  con 
tents  of  various  papers  and  documents  on 
the  table  before  him. 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  15 

Promptly  at  the  time  designated,  however, 
he  emerged  ;  reduced  chaos  to  order  with 
quick  and  practised  hand  ;  and,  catching  up 
hat  and  driving-gloves,  announced  himself 
ready  to  start. 

"  You  see,  Con,"  said  he,  as  they  de 
scended  the  stairs  and  stepped  out  into  the 
street,  "  there  's  nothing  like  farming  for  the 
fun  of  the  thing.  Turn  down  here  ;  I  stable 
at  Herrick's  now ;  he  's  nearer  than  Blake, 
besides  being  a  good  deal  more  reliable. 
These  farmers  who  have  to  make  their  liv 
ing  off  their  land  are  so  terribly  afraid  of 
experiments !  Now  I  've  four  dozen  as  pretty 
hills  of  corn  as  ever  you  saw ;  four  inches 
high ;  and  no  one  else  about  here  has  it 
much  more  than  planted.  How  do  you 
think  I  did  it  ?  Started  it  under  glass. 
The  neighbors  all  laugh  and  shake  their 
heads  over  it,  and  I  suppose  it  does  look 
rather  crazy  to  men  who  plant  their  sweet 
corn  by  the  acre  ;  but  I  shall  have  it  in 
the  pot  before  theirs  begins  to  ear,  for  all 
that.  Here  we  are.  Always  on  hand,  Jerry 
—  hey  ?  Jump  in,  Con !  all  right  ;  now 
give  'em  their  heads  !  "  and  the  two  gentle 
men,  bowing  their  own  as  they  passed  under 
the  low  doorway,  drove  up  the  street  at  a 


16  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

pace  which  might  have  proved  dangerous 
with  any  less  skillful  hand  on  the  reins  than 
"  Old  Ben  Thacher's." 

Once  fairly  free  from  city  obstructions, 
the  lawyer's  steady  attention  to  his  horses 
relaxed  somewhat,  and  conversation  went  on 
unflaggingly  ;  owing  chiefly,  it  must  be  con 
fessed,  to  the  cheery  garrulity  of  the  elder 
man,  who  was  evidently  heartily  attached  to 
his  newly  arrived  guest. 

"  Well,  well,  well !  "  he  exclaimed  at 
length,  "  how  much  talking  it  takes  to  sew 
up  a  two  years  gap.  Back  and  forth,  back 
and  forth,  like  Constance's  thread  when  she 
is  darning  stockings.  It  '11  take  a  week  at 
least  to  cobble  up  this  hole.  And  yet,  I  de 
clare,  it  does  n't  seem  as  long  as  that  since 
we  were  thumping  about  together  on  those 
hard-backed  Swiss  horses,  and  not  much 
longer  since  you  and  I  were  pulling  Connie 
through  that  terrible  siege  at  Eome.  She 
never  would  have  come  through  either  but 
for  you,  boy.  Hem !  get  along,  Polka  !  we 
must  n't  be  late  to  dinner.  The  old  lady 
will  be  on  tiptoe.  I  sent  your  telegram  out 
to  her  by  Ferris.  Knew  she  'd  never  forgive 
me  if  she  had  n't  a  chance  to  kill  the  fatted 
calf  and  get  on  her  best  cap.  Whey,  Ma 
zurka  !  " 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  17 

The  sun  was  shooting  golden  arrows  be 
tween  the  trunks  of  stalwart  elms  that  lined 
each  side  of  the  way,  as  the  well-matched 
roans  trotted  easily  along  the  broad,  level 
stretch  of  Winford  Street.  It  flashed  keenly 
across  the  faces  of  the  two  men  in  the  buggy 
while  a  short,  unsheltered  strip  of  dusty 
road  was  traversed,  and  subsided  again  to  a 
mere  twinkle  through  drooping  boughs  and 
thickly  interlacing  vines  as  a  corner  was 
turned  into  a  long  shaded  avenue,  which, 
after  taking  several  turns  itself  between  its 
green  borderings  of  birches  and  cat-brier 
and  wild  grape-vines,  took  a  last  one,  and 
brought  up  before  the  broad,  low  veranda 
of  a  broad,  low  house. 

Miss  Constance  Thacher,  a  sweet -faced 
lady  of  some  sixty  years,  housekeeper,  ad 
viser,  and  dearest  friend  to  her  warm-hearted, 
impetuous  old-bachelor  brother,  met  them, 
with  a  glad  welcome  for  Conrad,  in  the  hall, 
and  the  three  were  presently  seated,  at  table 
in  the  cool  dining-room ;  through  the  long, 
open  windows  of  which  they  could  watch  the 
river  winding  its  shining  length  between 
green,  shelving  banks,  the  red  and  white 
cows  browsing  their  leisurely  way  home  from 
pasture,  and,  further  off,  the  creeping  ranges 


18  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

of  low-lying  hills,  with  a  June  sun  sinking 
slowly  in  golden  glory  beyond  them  all. 

"  There,  now !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Thaeher, 
when,  peas  and  lettuce  having  been  duly  at 
tended  to  and  commended,  hot  meats  and 
puddings  sent  away,  and  the  cloth  removed, 
the  trio  sat  cosily  in  the  gathering  twilight 
over  their  fruit ;  "  this  is  just  as  it  should  be. 
All  three  together  again.  Honestly,  now, 
Conrad,  does  it  seem  as  if  it  were  two  years 
since  you  left  us  at  the  Liverpool  dock,  and 
set  that  obstinate  face  of  yours  toward  mak 
ing  your  own  way  in  the  world  ?  " 

"  Honestly,  I  should  say  it  seemed  more 
like  six,  sir.  Years  are  very  much  like  that 
worn  -  out  old  shield  in  the  reading-book ; 
whether  they  seem  short  or  long,  dark  or 
bright,  depends  upon  a  person's  stand-point. 
I  have  been  on  the  shady  side  of  so  many 
lately  that  I  hardly  remember  how  the  re 
verse  looks.  I  've  broken  loose  this  summer 
to  try  to  find  out." 

"  All  right ;  we  '11  help  you.  Connie  and 
I.  How  do  you  propose  to  begin  ?  " 

"  It  strikes  me  I  have  made  a  fairly  good 
beginning  already." 

"  Well,  then,  how  do  you  mean  to  keep 

O  '5 

on? 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  19 

"  As  I  have  begun,  for  a  time.  Then  I 
am  clue  at  Ockley,  as  I  told  you.  Terry 
will  join  me  in  July,  and  then  we  propose  to 
scour  the  surrounding  country  on  foot ;  al 
ways  keeping  his  uncle's  house  as  head 
quarters,  however,  for  Terry  has  sat  in  the 
lap  of  luxury  too  long  to  appreciate  the  joys 
of  up-country  taverns.  You  should  know 
Terry,"  he  continued,  turning  to  Miss  Con 
stance  ;  "  he  is  just  one  of  the  generous, 
merry-hearted  boys  such  as  you  like.  There 
is  the  making  of  a  very  noble  man  in  him 
too,  if  I  am  not  mistaken." 

"  He  is  n't  the  sort  of  boy  I  like,"  broke 
in  Mr.  Thacher ;  "  interferes  too  much  with 
my  plans.  So  does  the  old  chum  up  in  the 
back-woods,  who,  by  the  way,  seems  to  have 
raked  up  his  college  recollections  rather  late 
in  the  day.  However,  he  '11  do  to  drop. 
Con,  Sis  and  I  have  arranged  to  take  a 
couple  of  weeks  off,  or  rather  to  take  our 
selves  off  for  that  length  of  time,  somewhere 
about  the  end  of  August  or  first  of  Septem 
ber.  Every  dog  has  his  day  about  that 
time,  and  I  'm  bound  to  have  mine.  A  man 
gets  tired  of  his  own  vine  and  fig-tree  once 
in  a  while,  especially  if  he  never  gets  a 
chance  to  sit  under  it,  and  I  've  been  pretty 


20  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

hard  worked  ever  since  we  came  back  from 
Europe.  Connie's  heart  is  set  on  it  too, 
and  it  does  n't  agree  with  the  Thacher  con 
stitution  to  be  disappointed.  But  we  can't 
go  without  you,  so  when  will  you  be  ready? 
Name  the  day,  and  I  '11  choke  off  my  clients 
to  suit." 

"  To  tell  the  truth,"  said  Conrad,  "  I  hardly 
see  how  I  can  manage  it,  much  as  I  should 
like  to  do  so.  I  had  intended  to  be  back 
in  New  York  again  by  September  1st  at 
latest." 

"  But,  man  alive,  you  promised  us  a  visit. 
You  don't  intend  to  break  your  word,  do 
you?" 

"  It  does  n't  look  much  like  it,  at  pres 
ent,"  replied  Conrad,  smiling,  "  since  I  am 
here  to  redeem  it.  I  can  give  you  a  couple 
of  weeks  now,  unless  Miss  Constance  would 
rather  I  made  it  one." 

"  Well,  upon  my  word  !  "  Mr.  Thacher 
fairly  dropped  the  strawberry  that  was  half 
way  to  his  mouth  back  upon  the  plate,  and 
flung  down  his  spoon  in  disgust.  "  All  the 
time  he  wants  for  old  Daddy  Gary,  and  two 
paltry  little  weeks  for  us  !  I  guess  you  for 
get  that  if  Providence  had  n't  seen  fit  to  in 
terfere  I  might  have  been  your  uncle." 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  21 

"  No,  I  don't,"  said  Conrad ;  but  his  ex 
cited  host  sandwiched  this  remark  without 
even  noticing  it. 

"  It 's  all  very  well  for  the  Bible  to  enjoin 
hospitality,  and  I  trust  and  believe  I  do  my 
best  to  bear  out  St.  Peter  under  all  circum 
stances  ;  but  the  guest  has  some  responsi 
bility  in  the  matter,  I  take  it ;  and,  if  you  can 
call  yourself  a  hospitable  man,  Con  Faulk 
ner,  in  the  face  of  such  a  speech  as  that  you 
just  made,  your  conscience  must  be  tough 
for  your  years,  —  re-markably  tough !  " 

"Never  mind,  Ben,"  put  in  his  sister, 
laughing,  "  you  just  go  on  doing  as  the  Bible 
tells  you  to,  and  leave  the  boy  to  me.  I  '11 
manage  him.  Ben  is  quite  right,  Conrad," 
she  added,  "  if  he  is  rather  rude  about  it ; 
and  moreover  "  — 

"  Rude  ?  I  'm  not  rude,"  interrupted  Mr. 
Thacher,  nodding  his  head  emphatically. 
"  I  'm  merely  extending  a  pressing  invita 
tion.  It 's  not  all  politeness,  either  ;  it 's 
part  business.  I  want  you  to  paint  a  pic 
ture  of  old  Victory.  Well,  what  are  you 
humping  up  your  eyebrows  at  now  ?  " 

"  I  fear  the  result  would  be  a  picture  of 
defeat,"  replied  the  young  man,  bringing 
down  the  too-expressive  eyebrows. 


22  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

"  De-fiddle-sticks,  boy !  No  such  thing.  I 
know  what  I  'm  about.  Victory  is  n't  one 
of  your  sleek,  pink-nosed,  crook-neck  snort 
ers  !  He  's  a  rough  and  tough  old  fellow, 
with  character  in  his  face.  That  horse  has 
had  a  history,  and  he  knows  it.  I  want 
some  one  to  paint  him  who  will  catch  his  ex 
pression.  You  're  a  great  one  for  catching 
expressions,  Con." 

"  My  dear  Ben  !  I  hope  he  won't  catch 
any  of  yours." 

"  Don't  you  bother,  Connie,"  said  the 
lawyer,  with  a  quick  smile  at  his  sister  that 
robbed  the  words  of  all  roughness.  "  The 
boy  understands  me  and  my  ways.  Come, 
young  man,"  turning  again  to  Conrad, 
"  what  do  you  say  ;  will  you  or  won't  you  ?  " 

"  It  would  be  only  a  pleasure  to  make  the 
attempt  so  far  as  I  'm  concerned,"  replied 
his  guest,  "  but  I  fear  you  would  hardly  feel 
proud  of  the  result.  Victory  is  a  grand  old 
fellow,  a  regular  Lear  among  horses  ;  he  de 
serves  to  be  painted  by  a  master-hand.  Why 
not  get  Lawshe  to  do  it  ?  I  never  painted 
a  horse  in  my  life." 

"Neither  did  Lawshe,  for  that  matter." 

Miss  Constance  exclaimed. 

"  Oh,  I  know  he  has  had  some  four-legged 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  23 

things  on  exhibition  ;  perhaps  he  calls  them 
horses.  I  don 't.  They  're  mere  daubs  —  ani 
mated  daubs !  not  like  any  horse  that  ever 
was  seen,  unless  it  may  be  a  night-mare  !  " 
"  Perhaps  your  opinion  would  not  be 
worth  much  in  art  circles,  Ben,"  suggested 
his  sister. 

"  May  be  not.  I  guess  it  would  n't,  seeing 
that  Lawshe's  is.  I  know  what  I  like, 
though,  and  that 's  more  than  half  these 
critics  do.  Regular  hypocrites,  most  of  'em ! 
Turning  their  conceited  backs  on  what 
really  takes  one's  fancy,  and  squinting 
through  their  fingers  at  things  that  are 
enough  to  give  one  the  crawls  to  look  at, 
merely  because  they  are  considered  the  cor 
rect  thing.  By  and  by  some  other  style 
will  be  considered  the  correct  thing,  and 
then  these  modern  fellows  will  be  worse  off 
than  the  old  ones  are  now ;  for  they,  at 
least,  did  their  best  to  paint  things  as  they 
saw  them ;  whereas  these  chaps  are  forever 
straining  themselves  to  paint  things  as  a  cer 
tain  set  of  '  non  -  compusses '  wants  to  see 
them!" 

"  Don't  talk  so  loud,  Ben,  please." 
"  And  then,"  went  on  Mr.  Thacher,  after 
a  glance  at  his  sister,  in  a  mild  tone  which, 


24  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

taken  in  connection  with  his  excited  face 
and  gestures,  was  inconceivably  comical,  — 
"  then  they  find  fault  with  such  pictures  as 
Hilton's  because  of  their  '  finish.'  Finish  ! 
I  tell  you  if  you  're  going  to  imitate  the 
Lord's  handiwork  you  've  got  to  finish.  I 
would  n't  give  that  bull  of  Hilton's  that 
hangs  in  my  office  for  all  the  hysterics  these 
folks  can  put  on  canvas.  Good  gracious, 
man,  any  one  can  throw  paint !  I  could  do 
it  myself.  Look  at  that  picture  that  Farley 
bought ;  how  did  the  man  do  it  ?  I  '11  tell 
you.  He  just  slapped  the  canvas  with  a  red 
paint-brush,  wiped  it  with  a  brown  one, 
tickled  it  a  little  with  palette  scrapings, 
hung  it  up  ten  yards  off,  and  called  it 
'  Foxes ' !  And  then  Farley  goes  and  pays 
five  hundred  dollars  for  it  —  like  a  fool. 
Foxes  !  why  a  fox  would  turn  gray  at  the 
sight  of  it.  But  just  look  at  that  bull,  now ! 
he  's  got  hairs.  You  won't  find  any  streaks 
on  him.  Put  the  breath  of  life  into  him, 
and  he  'd  bellow  at  you  with  a  will.  Those 
confounded  foxes  would  blow  up  if  they  tried 
to  breathe." 

"  I  'm    afraid   you   will  blow   up   if   you 
don't,  Ben." 

"  Well,  well,"    said   he,   good-humoredly, 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  25 

mopping  his  face  with  his  napkin,  and 
emerging  very  rubicund  and  glossy.  "  Hang 
art,  anyhow !  Nature  's  the  thing  for  me. 
Come  along  and  see  my  corn,  Con,  before  it 
gets  too  dark." 

They  quitted  the  table  at  that,  and  the 
two  gentlemen  went  out  together  to  stroll 
for  a  while  among  the  flowers  and  vege 
tables  which  were  the  pride  of  the  lawyer's 
heart;  while  Miss  Constance  sat  in  the 
gathering  dusk,  on  the  wide  piazza,  clicking 
her  shining  knitting-needles  softly  against 
each  other,  and  watching  the  moon  as  it  rose 
buoyantly  up  into  the  fathomless  blue. 

Presently  Conrad  came  back  alone,  and 
seated  himself  on  the  step  at  her  feet. 

"  This  is  a  glorious  night !  "  said  he. 

"June  nights  are  apt  to  be  glorious. 
And  especially  so  among  the  hills.  I  am 
right  glad  you  are  to  have  a  breath  of  moun 
tain  air  again,  Conrad.  It  is  what  you  need. 
You  look  thinner  and  older  than  when  we 
parted  in  England." 

"  I  am  older  by  two  pretty  hard  years." 

"  Not  too  old  to  grow  young  again  if  you 
have  the  chance.  That  is  why  I  want  you 
to  take  it  now,  before  the  lines  and  wrinkles 
become  chronic.  Going  among  pleasant 


26  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

people  will  tend  to  smooth  them  out  won 
derfully." 

"  To  tell  the  truth  I  rather  dread  that 
part  of  it.  I  believe  I  do  not  make  friends 
easily." 

"  My  dear,  friends  are  not  like  doughnuts, 
to  be  twisted  together  out  of  common  ma 
terial  by  the  aid  of  a  little  sugar  and  spice. 
The  Lord  gives  them  to  us  as  he  sees  we 
need  them.  Only  —  when  they  come,  hold 
on  to  them." 

The  busy  needles  traveled  to  and  fro 
along  the  edge  of  the  white  cloud  of  yarn. 
Neither  the  lady  nor  the  gentleman  spoke 
again  for  some  minutes.  He  was  enjoying, 
with  all  his  artist's  heart,  the  effect  of  the 
soft,  clear  moonlight,  that  made  a  fairy 
vision  of  the  wide  lawn,  with  its  clumps  of 
shrubbery  and  grand  old  trees.  She  was 
revolving  in  her  mind  something  which 
pressed  for  utterance,  yet  found  no  words 
quite  fitting.  Presently  she  grew  desperate, 
and  spoke  the  first  that  offered. 

"  Conrad,  dear  boy,  I  have  a  feeling  some 
how  in  my  bones  that  this  summer  will  be 
a  turning-point  for  you." 

"  Yes  ?  I  suppose  every  moment  is  a  turn 
ing-point  if  one  only  knew  it.  Do  you  no- 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  27 

tice  how  exquisite  those  shadows  of  the 
grape-vines  are  upon  the  boles  of  the  white 
birches  yonder  ?  " 

"  Very,  veiy  lovely  indeed.  But  only 
shadows  after  all.  Do  you  know  I  think 
you  have  kept  companionship  with  shadows 
long  enough.  I  am  very  glad  that  some  one 
is  trying  to  drag  you  out  into  the  sunshine 
for  a  while." 

"  '  Out  among  the  high-lights,'  as  Terry 
says,"  replied  he,  smiling. 

"Precisely.  I  want  to  know  this  Terry 
presently.  Bring  him  with  you  —  if  he 
will  come  when  you  come  back  in  Septem 
ber.  For  of  course,  Conrad,"  she  went  on, 
quickly,  looking  down  at  him  with  earnest 
eyes,  "  you  will  come  back  to  us.  If  we  let 
you  break  away  from  us  after  that  year  in 
Europe,  which  by  its  deep  experiences  did 
the  work  of  twenty  ordinary  years  in  link 
ing  our  lives  together,  it  was  only  because 
your  own  highest  good  demanded  that  your 
life-plan  should  be  your  own,  and  worked 
out  by  yourself.  Where  mother  and  father 
would  not  interfere,  it  was  not  for  us  to  do 
so ;  but,  wherever  and  whenever  mother  or 
father  could  welcome  or  advise  or  help,  we 
claim  it  as  our  right  to  do  so,  Ben  and  I. 


28  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

Go  out  into  the  world  as  you  will ;  but,  when 
the  times  for  home  -  coming  offer,  this  is 
home.  Will  you  remember  ?  " 

Conrad  sprang  to  his  feet.  "  I  am  not 
likely  to  forget,"  he  said,  in  a  low,  intense 
tone,  as  he  paced  the  bright  veranda  with 
folded  arms,  "either  the  words  you  have 
now  spoken  or  the  many  others  of  wonderf  id 
kindness  which  have  been  said  before.  It  is 
not  that  I  am  ungrateful  for  your  goodness 
that  I  hesitate  to  avail  myself  of  it  more," 
he  went  on,  pausing  in  his  earnestness  be 
side  Miss  Constance ;  "  you  must  believe 
that !  It  is  only  that,  when  one  has  got  used 
to  living  among  shadows,  too  much  of  the 
other  thing  —  dazzles  one's  eyes  !  "  And 
either  because  his  eyes  were  dazzled,  or  for 
some  other  reason,  he  walked  off  to  the  far 
end  of  the  veranda  with  quick  strides. 

Miss  Constance  took  advantage  of  this 
movement  to  polish  up  her  glasses  and  wipe 
her  own  eyes.  Then  she  remarked,  quietly,  — 

"  Of  course  it  was  to  be  expected  that 
these  two  years  would  be  rather  dreary, 
among  strangers  as  you  were,  with  Ben  and 
me  away,  and  the  old  place  shut  up.  But 
now  that  is  all  set  right,  and  even  if  you 
were  in  Kamschatka  it  would  not  seem  so 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  29 

bad,  since  home  is  here  for  you  to  come  to 
when  you  need  it.  I  am  so  glad,  too,  my 
dear,  that  you  are  to  be  in  New  York. 
Chicago  always  seemed  a  chain  -  lightning 
sort  of  place  to  me.  And  you  will  find  it 
as  easy  to  run  on  for  Thanksgiving  and 
Christmas  as  you  used  to  find  it  to  run  over 
here  for  comfort  and  gingerbread,  when 
Aunt  Hetty  was  particularly  rigorous,  poor 
soul !  " 

"  '  Rigorous  '  is  a  good  word,"  laughed 
Conrad,  coming  back  to  his  old  seat  on  the 
steps.  "Aunt  Hetty  was  all  that.  She 
thought  she  was  merely  doing  her  duty,  I 
suppose." 

"  That  is  what  comes  of  living  all  alone," 
exclaimed  Miss  Constance.  "  I  would  rather 
adopt  a  poor-house.  It  spoils  a  woman  or  & 
man,  either.  I  shall  be  so  glad  "  —  full  stop. 

"Of  what?"  he  asked,  turning  to  her 
with  the  sudden  smile  that  sometimes  lit  his 
grave  face  into  most  winning  beauty. 

Miss  Constance  made  a  sidewise  dive  for 
her  ball. 

"  I  shall  be  so  glad  —  to  see  you  happily 
married.  Mrs.  Conrad  will  be  a  great  com 
fort  to  me  in  more  ways  than  one." 

The  grave    look    crept    back   again,   and 


30  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

there  was  silence  while  Miss  Constance 
knitted  six  stitches,  dropping  intermediate 
ones  promiscuously.  Then  Conrad  spoke, 
quietly. 

"  I  have  never  met  her  yet.  I  sometimes 
think  I  never  shall." 

"  Yes  you  will,"  asserted  Miss  Constance, 
stoutly.  "  And  when  you  do,  Conrad,  don't 
do  as  I  did.  I  waited.  Don't  you  wait. 
Marry  !  " 

"Marry?  who  talks  of  marrying?"  ex 
claimed  a  gruff  voice  from  the  darkness 
of  the  deserted  room  within.  "  Constance 
Thacher,  what  do  you  mean  by  putting  such 
notions  into  our  boy's  head?  We  can't 
spare  him  yet  a  while,  and  the  dickens  only 
knows  how  much  we  should  see  of  him  if  he 
had  a  wife  !  " 

"  No  danger  at  present,"  laughed  the 
"  boy."  "  I  can't  afford  such  luxuries." 

"  Hah !  don't  know  about  that,  either," 
retorted  his  host.  "  These  summer  vaca 
tions  are  dangerous  things,  especially  to 
knights  of  the  pen  and  the  paint -pot. 
When  Art  meets  Nature  then  comes  the  tug- 
of-war.  I  expect  nothing  but  that  you  '11 
get  snapped  up  by  some  blowsy  country- 
girl." 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  31 

There  was  a  general  laugh  at  this 
prophetic  outburst,  and  then  Mr.  Thacher 
and  Conrad  fell  to  talking  of  horses  and 
crops  and  the  desirability  of  being  in  two 
places  at  once  when  circumstances  required 
it;  while  Miss  Constance  put  in  a  quiet 
word  here  and  there,  or,  busily  flashing  back 
the  moonbeams  from  her  four  restless  little 
rods  of  steel,  looked  far  out  into  the  mys 
terious  shadowy  region  of  things  to  come, 
and  smiled  to  herself  over  her  own  un 
spoken  fancies. 


CHAPTER  II. 

"  Up  and  on  where  Nature's  heart 
Beats  strong  amid  the  hills." 

THE  midday  rays  of  a  summer  sun  were 
pouring  hotly  down  upon  the  wide,  bare 
platform  at  Cutter's  Falls.  The  still  heat 
radiated  from  the  steep,  rocky  sides  of  the 
surrounding  hills,  till  the  little  basin,  of 
which  the  great  brick  depot  occupied  the 
centre,  fairly  rippled  and  waved  with  visible 
caloric.  Nothing  was  moving  but  two  dusty, 
forlorn  looking  hens.  Nothing  was  audible 
save  the  faint,  monotonous  click-click  which 
issued  from  behind  the  closed  blinds  of  the 
telegraph  office.  The  hot  hands  of  the  big 
depot  clock  moved  slowly  round  till  they 
pointed  to  twenty  minutes  of  twelve.  Noth 
ing  stirred.  Fifteen  minutes  of  twelve  — 
a  brisk  step  sounded,  and  the  station-master 
appeared,  coining  round  the  corner  of  the 
building. 

Ten  minutes  —  there  came  a  rattle  of 
wheels  and  tramping  of  horses  as  the  hotel 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  33 

stages  drove  alongside  the  platform,  wheeled, 
backed  up,  and  waited ;  the  drivers  lying 
lazily  along  the  tops  of  their  vehicles,  with 
reins  held  loosely  in  one  hand. 

Five  minutes  of  the  hour.  The  old  flag 
man  shuffled  along,  with  his  red  signal,  and 
took  up  his  position  at  the  crossing. 

Suddenly  the  great  steam-whistle  on  the 
factory  by  the  bridge  drew  up  its  black, 
iron  palate,  and  sent  forth  from  its  metallic 
throat  a  ringing  scream  that  was  flung  back, 
in  deafening  clangor,  from  every  rock  and 
tree  until,  as  the  last  echo  died  away  among 
the  quiet  hills,  there  came  an  answering 
scream  from  the  woods  beyond  the  river ; 
and,  hot  and  dusty  from  its  rush  of  a  hun 
dred  miles,  the  noon  train  from  Boston 
rounded  with  slackening  speed  the  shining 
curve  of  rail,  and  drew  up  slow]y,  panting, 
before  the  station. 

In  an  instant  the  place  was  all  alive. 
Streams  of  passengers  emptied  themselves 
from  the  various  cars,  until,  across  the  space 
but  a  moment  before  empty  and  deserted,  it 
was  hard  to  find  a  pathway.  Trunks  and 
boxes  whirled  through  the  air  in  a  manner 
agonizing  to  the  anxious  eyes  of  their 
owners.  Draymen  shouted  and  hauled. 

3 


34  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

The  lazy  stage-drivers,  alert  and  active  now, 
plucked  women  by  the  sleeve  and  men  by 
the  coat-tail,  vociferously  shouting  out  the 
superior  merits  and  advantages  of  their  re 
spective  hotels  ;  while  a  stout,  red  -  faced 
man  in  a  white  apron  brandished  a  big  bell 
over  the  heads  of  the  bewildered  multitude 
—  its  resonant  tongue  hardly  more  clamor 
ous  than  his  own  —  as  he  assured  the  "  la 
dies  and  gentlemen  "  that  they  would  have 
"  twenty  minutes  for  dinner  !  " 

Conrad  Faulkner,  alighting  with  the 
crowd,  made  the  best  of  his  way  out  of  it, 
and  the  unsheltered  glare  at  the  front,  into 
comparative  isolation  and  a  cooler  spot  at 
the  rear  of  the  building.  In  one  corner  of 
an  unoccupied  settee  he  deposited  his  hand 
bag  and  a  stalky-looking  bundle  consisting 
of  umbrella,  camp-stool,  etc. ;  looked  about 
for  a  small  boy  to  act  as  guardian  of  his 
treasures ;  but  descrying  none  concluded 
to  trust  to  Providence  and  the  traditional 
honesty  of  country  towns  for  a  few  minutes, 
and  plunged  once  more,  Orpheus-like,  into 
the  Inferno  he  had  just  left,  searching  for 
his  Eurydice,  —  a  small  russet  trunk  with 
C.  F.  in  black  letters  on  either  end. 

Having   found  and  rescued  it,   the    next 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  35 

desideratum  was  a  means  of  conveyance. 
He  therefore  accosted  a  man  who  seemed 
likely  to  fall  an  easy  prey  to  Satanic  influ 
ence,  — having  remained  calmly  in  one  spot, 
with  hands  in  his  pockets,  "  unmoved  by 
the  rush  of  the  throng,"  ever  since  the  train 
came  in,  —  and  demanded  of  him  where  the 
Ockley  stage  was  to  be  found. 

Apparently  the  man  was  unused  to  such 
rapid  utterance ;  for  he  looked  surprised, 
and  remained  silent  some  seconds  longer. 
Then,  slowly  withdrawing  one  hand  from 
its  place  of  concealment,  he  indicated  with 
its  thumb  an  indefinite  locality  over  his 
shoulder,  and  replied,  oracularly,  "  The  man 
that  drives  it 's  in  there,"  —  and  immedi 
ately  relapsed,  more  completely  than  ever, 
into  silence  —  and  his  pockets. 

At  this  moment  the  questioner's  eye,  and 
almost  his  breath,  was  arrested  by  an  ap 
parition  which  issued  from  the  main  door  of 
the  depot.  It  was,  or  looked  to  be,  a  boy 
of  about  sixteen  ;  evidently  not  possessed  of 
his  full  share  of  wits,  yet  with  a  certain 
shrewd,  good  -  natured  twinkle  about  the 
small,  pig-like  eyes  set  deep  in  a  round  ex 
panse  of  fat  face,  from  which  a  freckled 
snub-nose  emerged  like  a  rock  in  the  ocean. 


36  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

His  hands  and  feet  were  rather  small,  and 
his  body  was  immense  ;  which  imparted  to 
his  gait  a  peculiar  effect  —  something  be 
tween  a  roll  and  a  shuffle. 

"  Dickens's  fat  boy,  by  George  !  "  ejacu 
lated  Faulkner. 

"  No  he  ain't,"  volunteered  his  indolent 
acquaintance,  "  he  's  Burns's  boy  ;  an'  he  's 
the  very  feller  ye  want.  Hullo,  Cy !  " 

The  fat  boy  turned  in  their  direction,  and 
the  pig's  eyes  twinkled. 

"  This  man  wants  ter  be  took  over  to 
Ockley.  Where  's  Hebray  ?  " 

Conrad,  unable  to  remove  his  fascinated 
gaze  from  the  boy,  beheld  a  sudden  con 
tortion  of  countenance  which  twisted  the 
mouth  round  almost  to  the  left  ear,  but 
heard  no  sound  issue  from  the  lips.  Instead 
there  seemed  to  come  from  some  one  just 
behind  him,  in  a  high,  squeaky  voice,  these 
words,  — 

"  He  's  loadin'  up  naow  ;  ye  'd  better  step 
lively!" 

Involuntarily  he  looked  over  his  shoulder. 
The  indolent  man  laughed. 

"  Pretty  well  done,  Cy !  He  's  dreadful 
spry  with  his  voice  "  he  added,  in  an  aside 
to  Faulkner.  "  I  've  knowed  him  throw  it 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  37 

as  fur  as  from  here  ter  them  woods  yander. 
He  '11  do  it  ag'in  in  a  minute,  an'  't  ain't  no 
sort  o'  use  ter  git  used  to  't  —  he  '11  fool  ye 
sure,  every  time." 

Cy,  however,  having  manifested  his  vocal 
powers  to  his  own  and  the  stranger's  satis 
faction,  betrayed  no  disposition  to  repeat 
the  performance  ;  but  shouldered  the  russet 
trunk,  with  wonderful  agility  for  one  of  his 
build,  and  moved  off,  its  owner  following, 
to  where,  close  by  the  settee  on  which  re 
posed  the  other  articles  just  as  they  had 
been  left,  stood  now  an  antiquated  yellow 
and  black  stage-coach  drawn  by  two  bony 
old  bays ;  while  an  equally  bony  and  ma 
hogany-colored  driver,  with  innumerable 
wrinkles  in  his  face  and  a  pair  of  gold  ear 
rings  in  his  ears,  was  busying  himself  with 
various  barrels  and  packages  on  the  rack 
behind. 

Having  seen  his  belongings  made  fast  with 
the  rest,  Conrad  mounted  the  top-heavy  old 
trap,  which  accommodatingly  bent  itself  to 
meet  him  as  it  felt  his  weight  upon  the  step, 
thereby  causing  an  unexpected  strain  upon 
the  muscles  of  the  back  and  abdomen  any 
thing  but  agreeable.  It  required  some  care 
and  skill  to  keep  his  balance,  but  he  finally 


38  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

succeeded  in  effecting  this  nice  adjustment, 
and  was  fast  losing  himself  in  admiration  of 
the  lights  and  shades  and  exquisitely  blended 
tints  upon  the  mountain  side  before  him, 
when  suddenly  the  earth  seemed  to  give 
way  beneath  him  !  he  felt  himself  jerked 
through  space,  so  to  speak  ;  and,  clutching 
at  a  leather  strap  for  safety,  turned  to  be 
hold  the  primary  cause  of  it  all. 

An  exceedingly  solid  lady,  in  a  great 
green  calash,  from  whose  depths  two  owl- 
like  eyes  glared  out  upon  him  through  gold- 
bowed  spectacles,  had  essayed  to  mount  un 
aided  ;  and,  with  one  foot  on  the  step  and 
both  hands  grasping  the  uprights,  gallantly 
maintained  her  position  in  the  face  of  fate, 
all  undaunted  by  the  fact  that  the  back  of 
her  head  threatened  to  strike  the  ground 
beneath  her,  and  that  a  well-grown  young 
man,  with  various  bundles,  was  in  imminent 
danger  of  being  precipitated  upon  her  from 
above. 

Conrad  bit  his  lip  violently  to  force  down 
his  emotions  ;  and,  keeping  tight  hold  of  the 
strap  with  one  hand,  offered  the  other  to  his 
helpless  vis-a-vis. 

"  That 's  right,  young  man !  jest  you  hang 
holt  there,  like  grim  death  to  a  dead  nigger, 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  39 

an'  I  '11  git  right  in."  And,  suiting  the  ac 
tion  to  the  words,  she  grasped  the  proffered 
hand  tightly  in  her  own  big,  freckled  one, 
and,  with  much  puffing  and  effort  and  a 
lavish  display  of  garter,  hoisted  herself  tri 
umphantly  to  a  seat  in  the  elastic  chariot. 

"  There  !  I  'm  obleeged  to  ye,  I  declare. 
Hebray,  he's  ginerally  on  hand  ter  boost, 
but  seems  he  warn't  this  time.  Sorry  ter 
upsot  your  equalibberum  so." 

"  Not  at  all,  Madam,"  replied  Conrad,  with 
well-recovered  gravity  ;  "  my  equilibrium  is 
not  easily  upset,  although  I  must  confess 
the  experience  of  the  past  few  moments  has 
been  quite  a  strain  upon  it." 

"  Should  n't  wonder  if  it  hed.  More 
ways  'n  one,  mebbe ! "  retorted  his  com 
panion,  with  a  shrewd  twinkle  in  the  eyes 
behind  the  spectacles.  "  Laff  all  ye  want 
ter,  I  don't  mind.  'T  was  funny,  an'  no  mis 
take  !  "  And  she  fairly  led  off  the  laugh  her 
self,  her  broad  shoulders  shaking  with  jolly 
appreciation  of  the  joke. 

"  Be  you  a-goin'  ter  Ockley  ter  stop  ?  " 
she  inquired  further,  after  a  pause. 

"•  For  a  time,  yes." 

"  Ruther  guess  you  're  the  man  they  've 
be'n  expectin'  up  to  Parson  Gary's  this  three 
fo'  days,  ain't  ye?" 


40  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

"  Very  likely.     I  am  going  there." 

"  Us  two  '11  meet  ag'in  then,  as  the  song 
says.  I  belong  up  that  way  too.  Say  !  "  she 
called  to  the  driver,  who  now  appeared  es 
corting  two  more  female  passengers  and  a 
band-box,  "  ye  may  set  me  down  ter  Mary 
Jane's.  Seth  '11  tackle  up  'n  take  me  hum 
by'nby." 

He  of  the  gold  ear-rings  nodded  and  spat ; 
and,  having  established  his  charges  on  the 
back  seat  by  dint  of  two  vigorous  "  boosts  " 
such  as  the  stout  lady  had  spoken  of,  ex 
tended  an  invitation  to  Conrad  to  share  the 
front  seat  with  himself ;  which  change  of 
base  being  effected,  he  clucked  to  his  steeds, 
and  the  procession  moved. 

For  eight  miles  the  road  from  Cutter's 
Falls  to  Ockley  lay  through  a  thickly  wooded 
valley —  an  easy  stretch  for  the  gaunt  horses, 
who  traveled  steadily  on  except  for  occa 
sional  stops  to  deliver  bags  of  potatoes  and 
barrels  of  flour  by  the  way,  and  a  rather 
prolonged  halt  at  Mary  Jane's. 

The  driver,  whose  name  appeared  in  black 
lettering  on  the  yellow  coach -body  as  Z. 
Hebray,  proved  to  be  of  a  loquacious  turn, 
and  conversed  amicably  with  his  only  male 
passenger  in  a  voice  which  alternated  be- 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  41 

tween  a  raucous  growl  and  a  subdued  wheeze, 
as  his  bronchitis  or  his  asthma  got  the  upper 
hand.  The  fat  boy  had  disappeared. 

"  There  's  Mill  Village  meetin'  'us,"  quoth 
Mr.  Hebray,  after  some  hour  and  a  half  of 
steady  jogging,  pointing  with  the  butt  of  his 
whip  to  a  church-spire  rising  white  from 
out  a  nest  of  green.  "  And  the  hotel 's  close 
by.  Shall  I  drop  ye  there,  Mister,  or  do  ye 
want  ter  be  kerried  sumw'er's  ?  I  've  got 
ter  leave  these  wimmen  round  fust,  that 's 
inside  here,  an'  then  I  '11  take  ye  anyw'er's 
—  in  reason." 

"  Mister  "  thanked  him,  but  feeling  strong 
ly  moved  in  favor  of  renovation  and  dinner, 
after  his  long  ride  and  longer  fast,  before 
presenting  himself  to  people  whom  he  had 
never  seen,  signified  his  perfect  readiness  to 
be  "  dropped,"  and  was  accordingly  deposited 
with  his  traps  on  the  bare  hotel  piazza  ;  dis 
covering  Cy,  as  the  stage  rumbled  off,  seated 
in  ponderous  solitude  on  the  now  empty 
rack,  his  legs  dangling  as  if  forgotten  by 
their  owner,  and  his  big  straw  hat  tipped 
low  over  his  eyes. 

Two  hours  later,  rested  and  refreshed, 
Conrad  sought  the  landlord,  paid  his  bill, 
and  inquired  the  way  to  Highfield  Farm. 


42  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

"  Never  hearn  on't,"  was  the  reply. 

This  was  unexpected  discouragement. 
Conrad  tried  again. 

"  Where  does  Mr.  Gary,  the  minister, 
live?" 

"  Want  ter  know  ef  that 's  what  ye  call 
his  place  !  " 

"  That  is  what  he  himself  calls  it,  I  be 
lieve." 

"  Well,  there  ain't  another  man  in  town 
that  doos,  then.  We  all  call  it  Saints'  Rest. 
I  donno  'baout  no  Highfield  Fa'm,  but  Saints' 
Rest  is  two  an'  a  ha'f  mile  from  here,  goin' 
that  way."  And  he  pointed  with  a  stubby 
finger.  Conrad  thanked  him,  and  was  turn 
ing  away.  The  landlord  called  after  him. 

"  'Ts  a  braownish  haouse,  sits  up  high  ! 
looks  as  much  like  a  good-sized  corn  ba'n  's 
anything  else.  Ye  can't  mistake  it.  Two 
mile  from  here,  a  straight  road  !  Leastways," 
he  explained  to  himself,  watching  the  tall, 
manly  figure  that  was  already  almost  out  of 
hearing,  "  't  ain't  very  straight,  but  there 
ain't  no  other." 

Straight  it  certainly  was  not,  for  it  turned 
and  twisted  till  even  Conrad,  used  as  he  was 
to  finding  his  way  through  strange  places, 
fairly  lost  his  bearings,  and  could  not,  for 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  43 

the  life  of  him,  tell  which  of  the  two  church- 
spires  he  saw  off  at  the  right,  brought  near 
together  by  distance,  belonged  to  the  little 
village  he  had  just  left.  After  a  while,  how 
ever,  this  whimsical  road  seemed  to  grow 
tired  of  running  away  after  every  little  rise  of 
ground  merely  for  the  pleasure  of  running 
round  it,  and  began  to  go  straight  —  up ! 
The  last  mile  was  one  continual  climb.  Now 
along  a  bit  of  shady  space  where  the  trees 
on  either  side  the  narrow  way  bent  over  in 
a  green  and  leafy  screen-work ;  now  over  a 
hot,  unsheltered  strip  which  must  be  trav 
ersed  to  reach  the  cool  and  tempting  stretch 
beyond.  At  one  point  a  hurrying  brook 
rushed,  as  if  out  of  breath  with  running, 
under  a  rude  board  bridge ;  and,  in  sheer 
despair  of  ever  reaching  its  destination  on 
time,  flung  itself,  with  reckless  haste,  down 
thirty  feet  over  the  sharp  gray  rocks  that 
stung  it  into  indignant,  sparkling  foam. 

"  Ockley  begins  well,"  thought  Conrad,  as 
he  paused  for  a  moment's  breath,  and  en 
joyment  of  the  extended  outlook,  before 
tackling  the  last  steep  ascent,  on  whose  brow 
he  saw,  perched  like  a  big  brown  bird,  the 
house  which,  as  the  landlord  had  told  him, 
was  not  to  be  mistaken  in  its  total  unlike- 


44  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

ness  to  all  the  variety  of  red,  white,  and 
black  farm-houses  scattered  about  over  the 
surrounding  hills. 

"  Saints'  Rest."  Truly  the  place  seemed 
fair  and  peaceful  enough  for  any  saint  to 
rest  in  ;  for  any  sinner  to  forget  his  sins 
and  begin  anew  in.  To  Conrad  Faulkner, 
being  no  saint,  neither  the  blackest  kind  of 
sinner,  it  seemed,  when  he  passed  through 
the  little  rustic  gate  and  closed  it  noiselessly 
behind  him  as  if  the  whole  pack  of  wants 
and  disappointments  which  a  life  of  nearly 
thirty  years  had  laid  upon  his  metaphorical 
shoulders  loosed  its  grip,  and  went  rolling 
down  the  hill  as  Christian's  did.  And,  truly, 
if  the  hill  of  old  had  been  but  half  as  steep 
and  toilsome  an  ascent  as  that  which  led  to 
Parson  Gary's  cottage,  the  weary  pilgrim 
might  reasonably  have  believed  that  the 
heavy  burden  would  never  find  its  way  up 
again  ! 

The  house  itself  was  a  low,  Swiss-like 
structure,  standing  with  open,  hospitable 
door  beneath  the  shadow  of  cool-spreading 
elms.  A  generous  porch  was  shady  with 
woodbine  and  fragrant  with  flowering  honey 
suckle  ;  and  as  Conrad  made  his  way  to  it 
along  the  narrow,  graveled  path  the  tones 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  45 

of  a  voice,  reading,  came  pleasantly  through 
the  open  window  and  mingled  itself  with  the 
humming  of  the  bees  in  the  blossoms  out 
side.  In  a  moment  it  ceased  and  there  was 
the  sound  of  a  door  opening  and  closing. 
Then  all  was  still. 

"  Miss  Robina  has  departed  to  her  kitch 
en,"  he  said  to  himself.  "  I  remember  Aunt 
Hetty  never  could  read  aloud  for  ten  con 
secutive  minutes  without  jumping  up  to  see 
if  the  muffins  were  rising.  Now  is  my 
time  !  "  And  he  lifted  and  let  fall  the  heavy 
brass  hand  which  did  duty  as  a  substitute 
for  other  people's  knuckles. 

At  the  sound  of  his  knock  reverberating 
through  the  quiet  house,  an  old  man  with  a 
ruddy,  genial  face  under  frosty  hair  came 
forth  from  the  room  within,  and  instantly 
advanced  to  greet  him  with  ready  smile  and 
cordial,  outstretched  hand. 

"  Mr.  Faulkner,  I  am  sure  !  Come  in, 
come  in.  You  are  most  gladly  welcome. 
We  have  been  looking  for  you  this  day  or 
two  past.  Bless  my  soul,  how  like  you  are 
to  your  father !  " 

He  took  Conrad's  bag  from  his  hand  and 
led  the  way  through  the  wide  hall  to  the 
stairs. 


46  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

"  I  am  going  to  take  you  directly  up  to 
your  room ;  and  then  you  will  start  right 
and  feel  more  at  home,  which  is  what  I  par 
ticularly  want  you  to  feel."  And  the  old 
gentleman  beamed  upon  the  young  one  so 
hospitably  that  the  latter  began  immediately 
to  experience  a  sense  of  restfulness  and  home 
comfort  to  which  he  had  long  been  a  stranger. 

A  door  at  the  head  of  the  stairs  stood 
open  into  a  large  square  chamber,  with  four 
windows  overlooking  the  valley  to  east  and 
north,  —  the  hill  near  whose  summit  Saints' 
Rest  was  built  forming  a  kind  of  peninsula 
from  which,  on  three  sides,  one  looked 
across  broad  intervales  to  other  hills  beyond. 
All  the  windows  were  open,  and  the  blinds 
had  been  thrown  back  to  admit  wandering 
breezes.  The  white  dimity  hangings  of  the 
bed  and  the  light  cane  chairs  and  sofa 
seemed  doubly  refreshing  to  one  who  had 
just  left  city  heat  and  dust  behind  ;  while 
the  clean  straw  matting  underfoot  was  like  a 
revelation  after  weeks  of  dingy  Brussels. 

"  There,"  said  the  parson,  depositing  the 
bundle  of  umbrellas.  "  This  room  belongs 
to  you.  The  remainder  of  the  house  you 
must  be  content  to  take  on  shares  with  the 
rest  of  us;  but  this  is  yours,  to  do  as  you 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  47 

please  in.  Bring  anything  into  it  except  a 
dislike  for  Ockley  ;  take  anything  out  of  it 
except  your  trunk.  That,  I  hope,  will  take 
root  for  some  time  to  come.  And,  by  the 
way,  I  must  send  Abijah  right  down  for  it. 
It 's  at  the  hotel  of  course  ?  that  is  right. 
Do  not  hurry  down  if  you  prefer  a  little 
rest.  We  shall  be  glad  to  see  you  whenever 
you  care  to  come,  and  we  shall  take  tea  at 
half  past  six."  And  the  parson  betook 
himself  and  his  cheery  smile  off  downstairs 
again. 

When,  some  twenty  minutes  later,  Conrad 
followed  him,  —  having  small  desire  for  rest, 
—  the  first  sound  that  greeted  his  ears  as  he 
opened  his  door  was  the  voice  of  the  in 
visible  reader.  "  A  remarkably  pleasant 
voice  for  a  middle-aged  spinster  partial  to 
cats  and  pot-pie  !  "  he  thought  to  himself. 
His  host  spied  him,  as  he  crossed  the  hall, 
and  came  out  to  meet  and  conduct  him  into 
the  library,  where  they  were  sitting. 

"  I  must  introduce  you  to  my  niece 
Robina,  the  good  genius  who  makes  home 
delightful  to  me.  Robin,  my  dear,  this  is 
my  old  friend's  son." 

Conrad  prepared  to  make  his  best  bow  to 
the  useful  old  maid  ;  and  then  stood  so  sud- 


48  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

denly  arrested  by  surprise  that  he  almost 
forgot  to  bow  at  all. 

A  tall,  graceful  girl  of  some  nineteen 
years  stood  just  within  the  library  door,  as 
they  entered,  still  holding  carelessly  in  one 
hand  the  book  from  which  she  had  been 
reading.  The  other  hand  she  reached  out 
instantly  and  frankly  to  Conrad.  As  he 
took  it,  he  took  with  it  the  conviction  which 
most  men  obtain  with  greater  or  less  reason 
at  some  point  in  their  lives,  that  this  girl 
was  unlike  all  other  girls  whom  he  had  ever 
met. 

She  greeted  him  with  a  real,  warm 
hearted,  old-fashioned  smile,  —  a  smile  that 
lingered  and  brightened  in  the  deep,  earnest 
eyes,  and  was  in  itself  a  satisfactory  wel 
come.  At  the  same  time  there  was  a  re 
serve  look  which  said,  almost  as  plainly  as 
words,  that  her  gladness  was,  as  yet,  merely 
a  part  and  because  of  her  uncle's  gladness. 
Whether  she  would  ever  give  him  such  a 
smile  solely  011  his  own  account  would 
clearly  depend  upon  the  ripe  estimate  which 
she  should  form  of  him,  and  therefore  re 
mained  to  be  proved.  In  the  instant  of 
time  during  which  this  stamped  itself  upon 
his  consciousness  as  a  fact,  he  also  became 
aware  of  a  strong  desire  to  prove  it. 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  49 

They  found  out  a  good  deal  about  one 
another  in  the  half  hour  before  tea.  The 
parson  found  out,  or  imagined  he  did,  that 
the  son  of  his  old  friend  resembled  his 
father  in  more  than  looks.  Conrad  dis 
covered  that  young,  dark-haired  Miss  Robin 
was  a  vast  improvement  upon  the  old,  gray- 
haired  Miss  Robina  he  had  been  led  to  ex 
pect,  and  boxed  Terry's  ears  mentally  for  so 
misleading  him  ;  while  the  young  lady  her 
self,  demurely  seated  in  a  corner  with  her 
sewing,  decided  that  a  certain  uneasy  fear 
she  had  cherished  in  regard  to  the  possible 
interference  with  their  pleasant  home  rou 
tine  of  the  presence  of  a  "  stranger  within 
their  gates  "  was  likely  to  prove  unfounded. 
She  slipped  from  the  room  presently,  leav 
ing  the  gentlemen  to  entertain  each  other 
for  a  little,  till  the  small,  clear  tinkle  of  a 
bell  struck  into  their  conversation,  and  put 
an  end  to  it. 

They  found  the  table  set  for  tea  on  the 
wide  west  stoop,  and  Robin  already  in  her 
place  at  its  head.  It  was  a  trifle  strange, 
perhaps,  that  the  sight  of  her  so  placed 
should  carry  Conrad  back,  with  a  sudden 
heart-throb,  to  the  time  when  he  could  re 
member  his  mother,  but  little  older  than 
4 


50  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

this  girl,  who  was  so  young,  as  she  used  to 
smile  at  him  over  the  big  coffee-pot ;  he 
perched  in  his  high-chair,  miles  away  it 
seemed,  beside  his  father. 

That  was  a  pleasant  meal.  The  smooth 
green  turf  crept  to  their  very  feet,  and  the 
sunset  light  flooded  all  things  with  a  lin 
gering  glory  ;  crowning  the  parson's  white 
head  with  a  rosy  nimbus,  and  bringing  out 
the  golden  gleams  in  Robin's  wealth  of  nut- 
brown  curls,  as  she  sat  in  her  big  chair  and 
poured  tea  and  cream  from  the  quaint,  old- 
fashioned  service  into  shallow  Indian  cups, 
her  pretty  hands  flitting  about  amongst 
them  like  a  pair  of  white  butterflies  over  a 
bed  of  blue  blossoms. 

They  lingered  long  until,  when  even  the 
parson  declared  himself  unequal  to  a  fourth 
cup,  the  table  was  pushed  back  through 
the  long  window  into  its  place,  a  servant 
removed  all  traces  of  the  repast,  and  the 
three  new  friends  sat  talking  together,  while 
the  moonlight  brightened  and  the  shad 
ows  deepened,  far  into  the  evening.  Even 
Robin,  under  the  sweet  influences  of  the 
night,  waxed  fearless  and  talkative,  and  all 
unconsciously  made  herself  so  irresistible 
that  Conrad  found  himself  watching  and  lis- 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  51 

tening  eagerly  for  the  soft  flash  of  her  eyes 
in  the  moonlight  and  the  ringing  music  of 
her  laugh,  as  the  parson  told  story  after 
story  of  his  college  days,  and  of  pranks 
played  by  those  who  were  boys  then,  —  dead 
many  of  them,  or  grown  old  and  scarred  in 
fifty  years  of  life's  fierce  warfare,  since. 

The  laugh  died  away,  and  she  sat  in  a 
subdued  silence  as  he  told  of  his  first  parish 
in  a  large,  busy  city,  and  of  his  young  wife 
and  their  bright,  happy  home  life  and  church 
work  together ;  of  how  his  wife  had  died 
and  left  him  with  one  child,  a  boy  ten  years 
old  ;  and  then  of  how  he  had  come  back  to 
the  old  family  farm  among  the  hills,  mean 
ing  to  rear  his  son  to  healthy,  helpful  man 
hood  amid  the  sweet,  strong  influences  of 
Nature's  solitudes,  as  the  prophets  of  old 
and  even  the  Lord  himself  were  reared. 
"  But  God  had  other  plans  for  the  boy," 
said  his  faithful  old  minister  ;  "  and  while  I 
was  fitting  him  for  college  He  was  fitting 
him  for  heaven.  So  here  I  have  been, 
waiting  and  working  ever  since.  Terry 
grew  up  between  his  grandfather's  home 
and  mine,  and  did  me  credit  at  old  Har 
vard.  He 's  a  dear  boy,  a  dear  boy ;  but 
Robin,  here,  is  the  staff  of  my  old  age ! " 


52  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

and  lie  laid  his  hand  fondly  over  the  dark 
curls  like  a  crown  of  praise. 

Then  the  little  black  clock  on  the  mantel 
within  hammered  out  ten  strokes  upon  its 
hidden  bell,  and  they  were  all  surprised  to 
find  how  late  it  was.  The  parson  said  he 
was  sure  Mr.  Faulkner  must  be  tired,  and 
Robin  brought  a  lighted  candle  in  a  cosy 
candle-stick  ;  but  smiled  as  she  gave  it,  say 
ing  that  he  would  not  keep  it  burning  long. 
Then  he  bade  them  both  good-night,  and 
went  upstairs,  where,  sure  enough,  his  first 
move  was  to  extinguish  the  candle-flame; 
for  his  chamber  was  flooded  through  and 
through  with  the  fair  summer  moonlight. 
Away  off  to  the  northward  rose  sharp 
mountain  peaks,  with  dark,  unfathomable 
shadows  lying  between.  The  great  elms  be 
fore  the  house  rustled  their  green  leaves 
softly  against  each  other,  and  the  sweet 
breath  of  the  honeysuckle  came  floating  up 
to  him  from  the  porch  below. 

He  rested  his  arms  upon  the  wide  win 
dow-sill  and  gazed  far  out  over  the  silent 
panorama  spread  before  him.  One  by  one 
the  lights  in  the  house  went  out,  until  there 
was  only  one  shining  from  the  little  vine- 
hung  window  in  the  gable.  Suddenly  this, 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  53 

too,  was  extinguished,  and  the  moon  and 
stars  had  things  all  to  themselves. 

Conrad  drew  in  his  head  with  a  deep  sigh 
of  satisfaction. 

"  I  believe  Terry  was  right,"  he  said  to 
himself  ;  "  I  believe  I  am  on  the  right  tack 
now." 


CHAPTER  III. 

"  In  the  wood  where  shadows  are  deepest 

From  the  branches  overhead, 
Where  the  wild  wood-strawberries  cluster, 

And  the  softest  moss  is  spread, 
I  met  to-day  with  a  fairy, 
And  I  followed  her  where  she  led." 

ADELAIDE  PBOCTEB. 

CONRAD  woke  early  next  morning.  He 
had  neglected  to  close  his  east  blinds  before 
going  to  bed,  and  by  five  o'clock  the  sun 
had  reached  a  point  whence  it  could  send  a 
well  directed  shaft  into  his  face,  as  he  lay 
fronting  the  window.  Even  then,  had  he 
not  opened  his  eyes,  there  might  have  been 
another  chance  for  him ;  but  he  did  open 
them,  and  after  that  there  was  no  closing 
them  again. 

He  rose,  therefore,  and  began  a  leisurely 
toilet ;  enjoying  it  all  immensely  from  the 
first  splash  of  the  cool,  woodsy  -  smelling 
water  in  the  big  shallow  bowl  to  the  final 
throwing  wide  of  windows  and  door  prepar 
atory  to  leaving  the  room. 

It  was  very  still.     No  one  seemed  to  be 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  55 

astir  as  yet,  but  a  soft  wind  moved  to  meet 
him  as  he  descended  the  broad  old  stairs; 
and  on  reaching  the  hall  below  he  found 
the  door  already  open,  and  the  fresh  breath 
of  the  morning  pouring  in.  Early  as  it  was, 
the  bees  were  up  and  at  work ;  buzzing  in 
and  out  among  the  blossoms,  and  doubtless 
making  a  delicious  breakfast  upon  honey 
and  dew-drops. 

He  took  his  hat  from  the  hall  table  and 
stepped  out  upon  the  gravel.  Once  there, 
a  little  side-path  tempted  him  and  he  set  off 
to  explore  its  windings.  The  breeze  blew 
freshly  from  far-away  mountain  summits  ; 
the  long  level  sun -rays  struck  to  right 
and  left  like  fairy  wands,  turning  drops  of 
water  into  flashing  jewels  ;  sweet,  liquid 
bird-notes  sounded  from  far  and  near,  and 
the  pines  sent  forth  their  spicy  summons, 
not  to  be  denied.  The  path  came  to  a  sud 
den  end.  Conrad  looked  at  the  tall  grass, 
heavy  with  moisture,  and  then  at  his  shining, 
thin-soled  boots.  Finally,  with  a  comical 
grimace,  he  bent  down  and  rolled  the  edges 
of  his  light  summer  trousers  well  out  of 
harm's  way ;  and,  plunging  boldly  into  the 
grassy  depths,  waded  off  with  great  strides 
toward  the  woods. 


56  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

By  the  time  he  reached  them  the  sun  was 
well  up,  and  piercing  with  its  myriad  golden 
needles  the  thick-growing  boughs.  The 
trees  whispered  and  laid  their  heads  together 
above  him,  and  at  his  feet  the  brook  went 
flowing  by.  He  remembered  how,  as  a  boy 
at  home,  he  had  been  wont  to  follow  up  the 
little  stream  that  fed  the  mill-wheel  to  its 
source  among  the  rocks,  and  how  many 
times  he  had  come  back  with  wet  feet,  to 
prim  Aunt  Hetty's  wrath  and  dismay. 

Now  his  feet  were  wet  already,  and  Aunt 
Hetty  had  been  slumbering  for  many  a  long 
year  beneath  the  buttercups  and  daisies  in 
Winford  church-yard.  The  dry  tips  of  rock 
poked  themselves  invitingly  above  the  cur 
rent,  and  he  accepted  their  invitation,  noth 
ing  loth. 

Further  and  further  into  the  woods.  No 
sunshine  here,  no  bird-songs,  —  nothing  but 
the  murmur  of  the  wind  among  the  pines 
and  the  ceaseless  song  of  the  dancing  water. 

He  climbed  on  and  up,  over  wet  stones 
and  dripping  moss,  much  to  the  detriment 
of  the  aforesaid  trousers,  till  he  reached  a 
spot  that  held  him  by  its  wild  loveliness  and 
forbade  his  going  further,  —  a  deep,  dark 
rent  between  the  rocks,  through  which  rushed, 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  57 

foaming,  the  little  mountain  torrent,  leap 
ing  with  gay  abandonment  from  ledge  to 
ledge,  —  here  dashing  headlong,  with  musi 
cal  roar,  like  a  mimic  cataract ;  there  steal 
ing  softly  and  smoothly  over  its  pebbly  bed, 
or  dripping  and  trickling  from  the  dark, 
moss  -  covered  walls,  —  but  always  hurrying 
down,  down,  in  its  eagerness  to  reach  the 
rapid  river  and  the  great  waiting  sea. 

Just  before  him,  shut  in  by  big  boulders, 
with  one  fall  plunging  into  it  and  another 
rushing  from  it,  lay  a  pool,  —  a  great  round 
basin,  worn  by  the  resistless  sweep  and  swirl 
of  spring  freshets  into  curves  and  grooves 
innumerable.  Clear  beryl-green  the  water 
shone  in  its  massive  reservoir  ;  and  through 
its  cool  depths,  beneath  the  shelter  of  over 
hanging  rocks,  small  minnows  scurried  nim 
bly  to  and  fro  ;  while  an  occasional  brook 
trout  showed  his  speckles  for  a  moment,  as 
he  glided  gracefully  past  to  bury  himself  in 
some  dark  hollow  out  of  reach. 

Sight  and  sound  made  Conrad  thirsty. 
He  stooped  and  drank  of  the  pure,  cold 
water  that  had  come  from  miles  away, 
through  the  darkness  of  the  night. 

Something  came  floating  down  the  brook 
as  he  raised  his  head  again.  A  bit  of  wood, 


58  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

apparently  ;  not  a  twig,  nor  piece  of  bark 
such  as  any  brook  might  gather  on  its  trav 
els  ;  this  had  shape,  —  it  was  larger  at  one 
end  than  at  the  other,  and  gleamed  white 
where  the  bright  light  touched  it,  as  it  came 
shooting  down  the  fall  into  the  pool.  It 
drifted  to  one  side  and  lay  rocking  quietly 
to  and  fro,  revealing  itself  as  a  large  wooden 
spoon.  Conrad  fished  it  out.  It  was  grace 
ful  in  outline,  and  the  handle  was  rudely 
carved  in  a  cluster  of  leaves  and  fruit. 

"  How,  in  the  name  of  all  that 's  sudden, 
came  you  here  ?  "  he  inquired,  turning  it 
over  in  amazement ;  but  the  spoon  vouch 
safed  him  no  reply. 

"  Seems  to  me  you  're  a  wonderfully 
shapely  chap.  Do  the  farmers'  wives  here 
abouts  stir  their  doughnuts  with  carved 
spoons,  I  wonder  ?  " 

His  wonder  was  cut  short.  Another  white 
gleam  shot  over  the  fall,  and  another  spoon 
lay  rocking  on  the  surface  of  the  pool. 

"  Two  spoons  !  Sign  of  a  wedding,  Aunt 
Hetty  used  to  say.  This  grows  exciting. 
Hulloa  —  here  comes  something  else  !  Some 
pedler  must  have  come  to  grief  above  there." 

A  shallow  wooden  bowl  came  down  with 
a  splash  and  "  sailed  the  ocean  blue."  After 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  59 

it,  echoing  gayly  from  rock  to  rock,  came  a 
sweet  ringing'  laugh.  Conrad  turned,  a 
spoon  in  either  hand,  and  beheld  Robin 
standing  on  a  big  stone  some  two  hundred 
feet  higher  up  the  brook.  She  was  adorned 
with  a  long  white  linen  apron  that  fell  from 
throat  to  feet ;  her  sleeves  were  rolled  back, 
disclosing  fair,  rounded  arms ;  her  pretty 
hair  was  carefully  tucked  away  under  a 
little  linen  cap ;  and  her  eyes,  looking  larger 
and  darker  than  ever  from  out  so  much 
whiteness,  were  fairly  dancing  with  merry 
mischief. 

"  Good  -  morning,  Miss  Cary  !  "  he  ex 
claimed,  transferring  a  spoon  from  his  right 
hand  to  his  left  and  raising  his  hat,  while 
Robin  nodded  and  smiled  in  return.  "There 
seems  to  be  quite  a  brisk  trade  along  shore 
this  morning !  Is  your  stream  always  as 
well  covered  with  small  craft  as  now?  " 

"Not  always,"  replied  the  girl,  while  the 
clear  laugh  bubbled  up  again  ;  "  this  is  a 
boom !  '  Three  wise  men  of  Gotham  went 
to  sea  in  a  bowl.' ' 

"Ah!  where  is  the  third,  I  wonder?  only 
two  dippers  -  in  to  science  have  reached 
this  port.  Two —  and  the  bowl!  "  and  Con 
rad  rescued  the  unlucky  vessel  as  he  had  its 


60  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

crew,  and  made  his  way  over  the  wet  stones 
to  Robin's  side. 

"  Thank  you  very  much,"  said  she,  hold 
ing  out  her  hands  to  receive  the  dripping 
mariners.  "  The  captain,  I  grieve  to  say, 
has  probably  gone  to  the  bottom.  He  was 
my  pet  skimmer." 

"  Indeed  ?  poor  fellow !  he  must  have 
been  a  man  of  metal,  then." 

"  That  he  was ;  and  a  very  hole-y  one  as 
well ;  otherwise  he  might  perhaps  have 
floated,  for  he  was  exceedingly  broad  and 
thin." 

"  Broad  and  thin !  an  uncommon  combi 
nation  for  a  sea  captain.  It  will  never  do 
to  leave  such  a  paradox  to  his  fate.  I  must 
fish  for  him ;  he  can't  have  got  far.  Did 
the  —  the  launch  take  place  here  ?  " 

"  Just  above  here,  in  that  little  cove.  I 
put  them  there  to  soak,  but  they  got  away." 

"So  I  perceive.  "Well,  the  captain  shall 
not  be  left  to  his  fate  without  an  effort  at  a 
rescue.  I  will  take  this  branch  for  a  drag, 
and  go  to  work." 

"  I  must  go  to  work  too,"  said  Robin, 
growing  a  shade  rosier  as  she  remembered 
for  the  first  time  her  rather  unusual  cos 
tume.  "  Don't  fish  too  long,  Mr.  Faulkner, 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  61 

- 1  have  other  skimmers.  If  you  are  suc 
cessful  you  will  find  me  at  the  dairy.  It  is 
just  in  here  a  little  way,  at  the  edge  of  the 
woods."  And  she  disappeared,  like  a  white 
vision,  among  the  trees. 

From  pool  to  pool  went  Conrad,  making 
diligent  but  unavailing  use  of  his  beech- 
bough  drag ;  and  seeing  ever  before  his 
eyes  not  a  tin  skimmer,  but  a  lovely  girlish 
face,  with  two  eyes  shining  out  like  stars 
from  under  a  white  cloud  of  cap-frill. 

"  I  have  read  of  dairymaids,  and  seen 
them  too,"  he  muttered  to  himself  as  he 
poked  and  splashed  his  way  down  stream, 
"  but  I  'm  blessed  if  I  ever  read  about " 
(poke)  "  or  saw  "  (poke)  "  a  dairymaid  like 
that !  It  strikes  me  "  —  he  had  reached  the 
big  basin  again,  and  was  absently  stirring 
its  contents  round  and  round  like  a  witch's 
cauldron  —  "  it  strikes  me  that  Miss  Robina 
Gary  is  a  bit  unique.  Last  night  in  a  long 
dress,  with  all  that  rich  old  lace  about  her 
neck  and  arms,  and  what  novelists  call  '  a 
coronet  of  curls'  on  her  head,  she  looked 
like  a  court  lady.  This  morning  in  a  lank 
white  tyer,  —  or  what  would  be  one  on  any 
body  else,  —  with  bare  arms  and  not  a  curl 
to  be  seen,  she  looks  as  rosy  and  demure 


ti'2  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

as  one  of  Wordsworth's  little  country  girls. 
Which  is  the  reality,  I  wonder  ?  or  is 
either?  " 

As  there  was  no  one  by  who  could  solve 
this  conundrum  for  him,  and  as  he  could 
not  solve  it  for  himself,  it  presently  occurred 
to  him  that  he  might  as  well  hunt  up  the 
Enigma  and  see  what  she  was  about.  So 
after  one  final  futile  effort  to  recover  what 
he  was  in  search  of,  he  flung  the  beech 
bough  away  in  disgust,  and  set  forth  in  the 
direction  which  Robin  had  taken. 

The  dairy  at  Highfield  Farm  was  a  pleas 
ant  place  into  which  to  find  one's  way  at 
any  time ;  but  at  six  o'clock  of  a  June 
morning,  when  the  early  breezes  came  blow 
ing  cool  over  hill  -  side  and  pasture,  sweet 
with  the  breath  of  wild  blossoms  and  mu 
sical  with  the  twittering  of  hidden  birds,  to 
stand  before  the  wide  north  window,  looking 
down  over  the  green  slope  to  the  river,  and 
across  the  river  to  other  green  slopes  be 
yond,  was  like  a  bit  from  some  pleasant 
poem,  or  like  the  recalling  of  a  sweet  old 
memory. 

Robin  was  standing  thus  when  Conrad 
arrived  on  the  spot,  having  caught  through 
the  trees  a  glimpse  of  the  gilt  cow,  that 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  63 

formed  the  vane  perched  on  the  tip  of  the 
comical  red  roof,  and  which,  glittering 
brightly  in  the  early  morning  sunshine,  had 
served  as  a  guiding  star  to  the  young  man's 
willing  feet. 

She  was  skimming  cream.  A  six-quart 
tin  stood  on  the  table  before  her ;  and,  as  she 
swiftly  chased  and  caught  the  rich  yellow 
cream  that  fled  in  heavy,  wrinkling  folds 
before  her  shining  skimmer,  she  transferred 
it  deftly  to  a  great  brown-stone  crock  beside 
her.  She  worked  on  and  Conrad  watched 
her.  When  the  first  pailful  was  skimmed 
she  set  it  off  at  one  side  and  brought  for 
ward  another,  which  also  was  speedily  and 
skillfully  bereft  of  its  rich  rising  and  ex 
changed  for  a  third. 

Evidently  she  was  no  novice  at  dairy- 
work.  There  was  in  every  turn  and  motion 
of  the  pretty  hands  "that  easy  dexterity, 
quick  without  hurry,  which  invariably  marks 
the  adept  at  any  art.  She  made  so  graceful 
and  pleasant  a  picture  that  Conrad  delayed 
from  moment  to  moment  making  his  pres 
ence  known,  lest  some  tinge  of  conscious 
ness  or  embarrassment  should  rob  the  scene 
of  half  its  beauty.  By  and  by,  however, 
he  became  aware  that  his  proximity  was  no 


64  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

longer  a  secret.  A  little  amused  smile  be 
gan  to  pucker  the  corners  of  the  girl's 
mouth,  and  presently  she  spoke,  without 
raising  her  eyes  from  her  work. 

"  What  success,  Mr.  Faulkner  ?  " 

"  Miss  Cary  !  how  did  you  see  me,  pray  ? 
I  could  take  my  '  Alfred  David  '  that  you 
never  once  raised  your  eyes,"  said  Conrad, 
coming  up  to  the  window  and  answering  her 
question  with  another. 

"  I  did  not  see  you  —  I  felt  you,"  said 
Robin.  And  the  eyes,  with  a  laugh  in  them, 
were  raised  to  his  face  for  a  moment.  "  Do 
you  never  recognize  people  except  with  your 
eyes ?  And  where  is  my  skimmer ?  'Is  —  is 
he  dead  '  ?  " 

"  '  Drownd-ed  '  "  —  quoted  Conrad  in  his 
turn.  "  You  see  his  holey-ness  could  not 
save  him." 

"  Because,  like  a  great  deal  of  so-called 
holiness,  it  would  not  hold  water!  There 
are  a  great  many  skimmers  in  the  world, 
Mr.  Faulkner." 

"  Yes  —  and  a  good  many  strainers,  also. 
Luckily  we  are  not  the  tinsmith.  Why 
don't  you  ask  me  to  come  in,  Miss  Cary  ?  " 

"  Come  in  by  all  means,  if  you  like,"  said 
Robin,  frankly.  "  Do  you  enjoy  a  dairy  ?  " 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  65 

"  To  tell  the  truth,  I  have  never  been  in 
side  one  before,"  replied  the  young  man, 
swinging  himself  lightly  to  a  seat  on  the 
broad,  low  sill.  "  I  have  peeped  in  at  a 
dairy  window  once,  but  that  was  across 
the  water,  and  the  cream  had  all  been 
skimmed  long  ago.  There  were  only  bare 
marble  tables  and  a  mist  of  cobwebs  or 
something,  that  prevented  one's  seeing  even 
those  clearly.  Poor  little  dairymaid !  hers 
was  a  dangerous  dasher.  She  only  meant  to 
stir  up  butter,  but  she  stirred  up  a  revolu 
tion  at  the  same  time." 

"  Trianon  !  "  said  Robin,  softly  ;  and 
then  said  no  more  for  a  moment,  while  her 
eyes  roamed  over  the  fields  outside  with  a 
dreamy,  far-away  look,  and  the  corners  of 
her  mouth  trembled  again,  ever  so  little,  but 
not  with  laughter  this  time. 

It  was  only  for  a  moment.  Even  as  Con 
rad  watched  admiringly  the  sweet  varying 
face  that  a  word  could  change  from  gay  to 
grave,  and  yet  that  clearly  was  the  ex 
ponent  of  110  weak  nature,  with  its  wide, 
intelligent  forehead  and  firm  little  mouth 
and  chin,  it  changed  back  again  in  a  flash. 

"  Would  you  like  to  learn  to  stamp  but 
ter  ?"  —  she  sent  a  bright,  arch  look  full 


66  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

into  his  face,  "  because  I  am  just  ready  to 
stamp  some,  and  you  might  help,  if  you 
liked." 

"  I  do  like  —  that  is,  I  am  sure  I  shall  like, 
immensely.  What  must  I  do  first  ?" 

"  Finish  getting  in,  I  should  say,  and  then 
—  put  these  on." 

"  These  "  were  a  pair  of  long  linen  sleeves 
which  came  up  nearly  to  his  shoulders  and 
effectually  protected  his  coat-cuffs. 

"  Anything  else  ?  "  he  demanded,  leaving 
his  perch  on  the  window-sill  and  presenting 
himself  at  the  table  whence  Robin  was 
busily  removing  all  vestiges  of  her  former 
occupation.  She  paused,  cream  -  crock  in 
both  hands,  and  regarded  him  with  a  little 
frown  of  perplexity. 

"  I  suppose  you  would  feel  insulted  if 
I  should  propose  an  apron  !  " 

"  Insulted  ?  not  a  bit  of  it.  An  apron 
by  all  means.  George  Herbert  glorified 
brooms,  —  why  should  not  aprons  be  held 
as  honorable  ?" 

"  Why,  indeed  ?  you  will  find  one  in 
the  table  drawer."  And  she  disappeared 
through  a  low  doorway  into  what  seemed, 
looking  from  the  light,  a  region  of  total 
darkness. 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  67 

When  she  came  back  she  brought  with 
her,  in  one  hand,  a  goblet  filled  with  creamy 
milk ;  in  the  other,  a  wooden  trough  or  tray, 
which  she  placed  on  the  table.  In  it  was 
a  great  ball  of  hard,  yellow  butter. 

Conrad  did  not  see  this  manoeuvre.  He 
was  busy  with  his  apron,  which  he  put  on 
man-fashion,  first  tying  it  tightly  about  his 
waist,  hind-side  before,  and  then,  with  a  de 
termined  grasp  of  the  binding  at  either  side, 
swinging  it  round  to  its  proper  position,  at 
the  imminent  risk  of  cutting  himself  in  two. 

"  There  !  "  said  he,  smoothing  it  down  with 
a  sigh  of  satisfaction  ;  "  now  what  is  the 
next  thing  to  do  ?  I  am  having  a  splendid 
time  !  " 

"  Drink  this,  please.  It  will  be  an  hour 
yet  before  we  have  breakfast,  and  I  am  sure 
you  must  be  hungry." 

"  Here  's  richness  !  "  exclaimed  Conrad, 
as  he  thanked  her  and  took  the  goblet. 
"  A  city  milk-man  would  feel  his  digestion 
ruined  forever  at  the  mere  sight  of  such 
cream." 

"  Very  likely.  A  prick  of  conscience 
often  passes  for  an  attack  of  dyspepsia," 
laughed  Robin,  as  she  produced  three  wooden 
prints  and  three  spats  which  had  been  soak- 


68  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

ing  in  the  Gotham  bowl,  and  proceeded 
to  instruct  her  new  pupil  in  the  art  of 
stamping. 

"  There  —  first  you  must  draw  the  handle 
down  so  —  then  pack  the  butter  in  with  the 
spat  until  the  mould  is  full  —  so.  Then 
smooth  it  off  and  do  —  so !  "  And  with  one 
dexterous  punch  of  the  handle  she  pushed 
the  finished  butter -pat  out  upon  the  dish 
placed  to  receive  it. 

"  How  delicious  it  looks  !  "  said  Conrad, 
bending  over  the  dish  in  admiration  ;  "  it  is 
a  rose,  —  a  golden  rose." 

"Yes.  And  you  have  also  a  sheaf  of 
wheat,  and  —  what  is  the  other  ?  I  forget." 

"  A  butterfly.  How  suggestive  !  But 
what  are  you  going  to  do  yourself?  you 
have  given  me  all  the  pretty  work." 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it !  On  the  contrary  I 
have  kept  the  best  for  myself."  And  pro 
ducing  a  silver  butter-dish  she  proceeded  to 
cover  it  with  the  most  delicate  golden  shells 
and  quirls  and  hollow  scrolls  imaginable  ; 
all  of  which  were  evolved  from  solid  lumps 
of  butter  by  some  swift,  magical  manipula 
tion  of  a  pair  of  wooden  spats  only  differ 
ing  from  ordinary  spats  in  that  they  were 
grooved,  like  a  piece  of  old-fashioned  hard 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  69 

gingerbread.  When  the  butter-dish  was 
filled  she  brought  forth  from  her  unfailing 
cupboards  a  large  platter,  which  she  set 
herself  to  covering  closely  with  the  same 
airy  constructions.  Conrad,  getting  through 
with  his  more  solid  work  first,  stood  and 
looked  on  appreciatively. 

"That  is  high  art,"  he  said  at  length, 
when  the  last  crumb  had  been  transformed 
and  placed  on  the  dish,  — "  the  beatification 
of  butter.  How  long  will  that  amount  last  ? 
there  looks  to  be  a  week's  supply  of  it." 

"  Oh,  110  !  that  will  all  be  gone  by  to 
morrow  night.  There  is  very  little  to  them. 
They  melt  away  like  the  most  evanescent 
thing  you  can  imagine." 

"  Good  resolutions,"  said  Conrad. 

"  Moral  butter  !  "  laughed  Robin.  "  A 
good  synonym,  Mr.  Faulkner.  It  is  time 
for  us  to  be  going  now,  but,  if  you  like, 
I  will  show  you  over  my  domicile  first." 

"  Is  there  more  to  it  then  ?  "  said  Conrad, 
glancing  round  the  little  octagonal  apart 
ment  so  scrupulously  clean  and  orderly,  so 
sweet  and  cool  with  its  vine-shaded  window 
and  door.  "  Is  n't  this  the  whole  ?  " 

"  No,  indeed,  —  not  half.  This  is  only 
the  shell,  the  work-room.  The  kernel  of 


70  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

the  whole  is  yet  to  be  exhibited.  Where  do 
you  suppose  all  the  milk,  and  cream,  and 
butter  are  ?  " 

"  There  is  the  butter,"  he  replied,  pointing 
to  their  finished  work,  "  and  when  the  but 
ter  came  I  suppose  the  cream  departed." 

Robin  laughed.  "  Come  and  see,"  she 
said,  and  disappeared  once  more  through 
the  low  doorway  into  darkness.  Conrad 
paused  on  the  threshold. 

"  I  perceive,  Miss  Gary,  that  you  take  me 
for  a  cat.  You  are  mistaken,  however.  My 
pupils  refuse  to  expand  to  the  requisite  ex 
tent." 

Robin's  low  laugh  came  back  to  him  from 
out  the  dusk.  "  Indeed  you  are  the  mis 
taken  one,  Mr.  Faulkner  !  I  should  object 
most  strongly  to  encouraging  cats  in  my 
dairy.  Now  you  can  see."  And  as  she 
spoke  a  square  opening  appeared  directly 
ahead,  through  which  the  glad  light  poured 
in  and  made  things  clear. 

Stepping  down  two  steps  the  young  man 
found  himself  in  what  appeared  to  be  a 
small  cave,  the  floor  being  laid  with  slabs  of 
gray  slate,  and  the  irregular  sides  formed 
entirely  of  huge  rocks  from  whose  rough  sur 
faces  little  streams  of  moisture  were  slowly 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  71 

trickling.  On  a  swinging  shelf  at  his  right 
hand  were  ranged  platter  after  platter  like 
that  he  had  already  seen,  covered  with  pats 
of  the  same  yellow  butter.  On  the  floor 
beneath  stood  the  cream-crock.  He  looked 
in  vain  for  anything  more. 

"  You  are  wondering  what  has  become  of 
the  milk,"  said  Robin,  —  "  see  here  !  "  She 
stooped  and  lifted  a  large  round  grating 
which  was  set  in  the  floor,  and  which,  being 
of  the  general  coloring,  had  escaped  his 
notice.  Beneath  was  what  looked  to  be  a 
well. 

"  This  is  a  living  spring.  Feel  how  cold 
the  water  is."  It  was  cold,  almost  as  cold 
as  ice-water. 

"  You  see  I  hang  my  pails  down  into  the 
spring  itself.  The  animal  heat  is  all  out 
of  the  milk  in  a  very  few  minutes,  and  the 
cream  is  magnificent.  Look  at  this  !  "  She 
unhooked  one  of  the  pails  and  drew  it  up. 
The  cream  on  it  was  already  nearly  an  inch 
thick. 

"  That  is  twelve  hours  rising,"  she  said, 
restoring  it  to  its  place.  "  To  -  morrow 
morning  I  shall  skim  all  these  on  this  side. 
Those  two  pails  there  are  for  table  use.  I 
consider  twelve  hours  long  enough  for  cream 


72  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

that  is  to  be  eaten  as  such  to  rise.  After 
that  it  seems  to  lose  something  of  its  fresh 
taste  and  become  buttery."  She  put  the 
grating  back  again,  and  rose  to  her  feet. 

"  There  are  twenty  pounds  of  butter  there," 
she  said,  glancing  with  pardonable  pride  at 
the  golden  treasure  on  the  shelf.  "  To-mor 
row  Abijah  will  take  it  over  to  the  Falls, 
and  start  it  off  for  Boston,  by  the  early 
train.  Now  I  will  set  away  the  pats  which 
you  have  been  making,  and  then  we  must 
take  off  our  regimentals  and  go.  It  is  after 
seven  already,  and  I  want  to  stop  for  a  few 
lilies  of  the  valley  on  the  way." 

"  How  happens  it  that  you  have  lilies  of 
the  valley  in  bloom  now  ? "  asked  Conrad, 
when  the  key  had  been  turned  on  this  rustic 
Paradise  and  dropped  into  Robin's  pocket, 
and  they  were  walking  away,  she  with  a 
cream-jug  in  either  hand,  and  he  with  the 
butter-dish.  "  Is  the  season  so  much  later 
here?  Miss  Constance  and  I  searched  in 
vain,  only  last  week,  for  enough  to  make  a 
buttonhole  bouquet." 

"  Management,  Mr.  Faulkner  —  manage 
ment  !  Women  are  '  born  managers,'  you 
know.  I  always  contrive  to  keep  a  patch 
back  for  late  blooming.  They  grow  in  a 
cool,  shady  corner  by  the  West  Spring." 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  73 

"  Small  blame  to  them  !  it  sounds  uncom 
monly  refreshing.  Are  n't  there  a  good 
many  springs  and  brooks  and  things  in  this 
favored  neighborhood,  by  the  way  ?  " 

"  Their  name  is  legion,"  replied  Robin, 
gayly.  "  There  are  six  brooks  and  three 
springs  on  this  farm  alone.  You  see  they 
all  cut  across  our  land  to  get  to  the  river. 
This  large  brook  is  a  branch  of  the  river, 
in  fact.  It  runs  into  it  again  about  three 
quarters  of  a  mile  below  here,  so  that  piece 
of  woodland  is  really  an  island.  There  is  a 
charming  view  from  one  end  of  it,  and  I  have 
a  perch  of  my  own  there  in  a  big  tree.  You 
might  make  a  sketch  from  it  some  day." 

"  One  might  spend  a  lifetime  in  sketch 
ing  here  in  landscape  alone,  to  say  nothing 
of  live-stock !  Do  all  the  turkeys  that  I  see 
over  there  belong  to  Mr.  Gary  ?  "  asked  Con 
rad,  pointing  to  myriad  black  heads  that 
were  bobbing  about  like  a  school  of  porpoises 
in  a  sea  of  green  grass. 

"  No,  they  are  mine.  And  all  the  chick 
ens  that  you  see  over  there  are  mine  too. 
There  are  my  cows  just  disappearing  below 
the  hill.  Four  of  them,  —  all  black.  I  have 
a  fancy  for  black  cows.  I  wonder  if  Marie 
Antoinette's  cows  were  black,  too." 


74  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

"  I  never  happened  to  see  a  black  cow  in 
France.  The  Normandy  cattle  are  mostly 
red  or  red  and  white,  and  the  others  that  I 
came  in  contact  with  were  all  mouse-color 
or  creamy-brown,  —  Jerseys,  you  know." 

"  Yes,  to  be  sure  :  I  might  have  guessed 
that.  How  pretty  she  must  have  looked  in 
her  simple  dress,  among  the  mouse-colored 
cows !  One  would  like  to  have  seen  her 
then.  One  might  have  been  a  great  lady, 
and  her  intimate  friend,  you  know.  But 
perhaps  " 

"  Perhaps  it  is  better  to  live  among  black 
cows  in  New  Hampshire  ?  I  fancy  it  is  as 
well.  The  Queen  of  France  paid  for  her 
mouse-color  with  scarlet ;  and  lilies  of  the 
valley  are  safer,  on  the  whole,  than  fleurs- 
de-lis.  So  —  this  is  the  West  Spring,  I  sup 
pose." 

The  fragrant  white  bells  grew  thickly 
beneath  their  sheltering  leaves,  and  the 
pickers'  hands  were  soon  filled. 

"  Now,  then,"  said  Conrad,  sniffing  ad 
miringly  at  the  sweet  result  of  their  ten 
minutes'  work,  "  shall  I  take  one  bunch  of 
lilies  and  two  cream-jugs,  or  one  butter-dish 
and  two  bunches  of  lilies,  or  what  ?  " 

But  Robin  was  too  quick  for  him.     She 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  75 

had  hooked  one  cream-jug  on  to  her  little 
finger,  taken  the  butter-dish  in  her  other 
hand,  and  was  already  on  her  way  again. 
Nothing  remained  for  him  but  to  take  the 
one  bunch  and  jug  that  were  left  and  fol 
low. 

They  hurried  up  over  the  green  slope 
together,  talking  and  laughing  like  two 
children.  Somehow,  in  the  short  time  that 
had  elapsed  since  their  first  meeting,  they 
seemed  to  have  become  marvelously  well 
acquainted. 

"  A  wonderfully  pleasant  phase,"  thought 
Conrad,  "  even  if  it  proves  to  be  only  a 
phase.  Last  night  was  pleasant  too,  though. 
I  wonder  which  will  last  ?  " 

It  was  high  time  for  breakfast  when  they 
reached  the  house,  and  the  parson  stood  in 
the  porch  waiting  for  them,  while  near  by, 
armed  with  a  big  bell,  stood  no  less  a  per 
sonage  than  Conrad's  stout  friend  of  the 
stage  -  coach,  clad  in  crisp  calico  and  evi 
dently  very  much  at  home. 

"  Good  morning,  Mr.  Faulkner !  So 
Robin  has  pressed  you  into  the  service  al 
ready,  hey?  She  is  always  an  early  bird, 
but  you  must  n't  let  her  impose  upon  you 
as  she  does  upon  her  old  uncle."  And  he 


76  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

tapped  the  girl's  rosy  cheek  as  she  ran  past 
him,  and  beamed  after  her  as  if  he  found 
being  imposed  upon  rather  a  pleasant  sen 
sation. 

"  It  is  an  understood  thing  that  the  early 
bird  shall  always  catch  the  worm,  I  believe," 
said  Conrad  lightly  ;  "  it  is  her  perquisite. 
But  the  worm  has  had  the  best  of  it  this 
time.  He  has  been  learning  to  make  the 
butter-fly !  " 

"  Good,  good  !  By  the  way,  let  me  intro 
duce  you  to  our  good  friend  Mrs.  Bloom," 
began  his  host ;  but  Conrad's  hand  was  al 
ready  imprisoned,  for  the  second  time,  in 
the  freckled  grasp  of  that  worthy  woman. 

"  You  an  me  's  met  afore ;  hain't  we,  Mr. 
Forkner  ?  The  fust  meet  was  a  mighty 
lucky  one  fer  me,  an'  I  '11  try  an'  see  to  't 
that  this  ain't  an  onlucky  one  fer  you.  I  'm 
the  housekeeper." 

"  Thank  you,  Mrs.  Bloom,"  returned  Con 
rad,  laughing  as  he  remembered  the  pot-pie 
and  the  cat ;  "  it 's  a  grand  thing  to  be  on 
good  terms  with  the  housekeeper,  as  I  know 
of  old.  It  shall  not  be  my  fault,  I  assure 
you,  if  I  fall  from  grace." 

"  I  Vlieve  ye  !  "  acquiesced  Mrs.  Bloom, 
heartily ;  adding  to  the  parson,  as  Conrad 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  77 

passed  in,  and  up  to  his  room,  "  That 's  a 
good  young  man,  of  he  is  han'sum." 

"  I  believe  so,"  assented  the  parson, 
quietly,  though  his  eyes  twinkled. 

"An'  I  know  so.  I  ain't  be'n  merried 
three  times  fer  nothin'.  I  can  read  the  spel- 
lin'  in  a  man's  face  pretty  quick  now,  I  tell 
ye !  an'  he  's  a  clean  sentence,  straight  threw. 
There  ain't  no  bad  words  in  him,  nor  yet 
he  ain't  all  question  marks  an'  exclimation 
p'ints  like  that  feller  Terry,  neither."  And 
giving  the  big  bell  a  final  brandish,  by  way 
of  emphasis,  Mrs.  Bloom  hurried  in  to  see 
that  all  was  as  it  should  be. 

Conrad  flattered  himself  that  he  had  been 
most  expeditious  when  he  came  down  again 
in  irreproachable  breakfast-table  order.  But 
some  one  else  had  been  even  quicker.  There 
sat  Robin  in  her  high-backed  chair,  making 
the  tea,  as  daintily  attired,  as  cool,  fresh, 
and  quietly  composed  as  if  she  were  now  be 
low  stairs  for  the  first  time  that  morning, 
and  dairy-work  and  sunrise  rambles  were 
things  unheard  of. 

Indeed,  before  the  meal  was  over,  Conrad 
was  more  than  ever  confirmed  in  his  idea 
that  their  previous  encounter  had  been 
merely  a  phase,  so  utterly  unlike  his  rosy 


78  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

little  country  girl  of  an  hour  ago  was  this 
dignified  young  woman,  presiding  at  the 
head  of  her  uncle's  table  with  all  the  ease, 
and  more  than  all  the  grace,  of  a  woman 
twenty  years  her  senior. 

Two  people,  or  sets  of  people,  meet  at  a 
given  point  in  life  much  as  two  trains  meet 
at  a  station.  That  they  may  run  together 
for  a  time,  however  brief,  there  must  be  an 
interval  of  switching.  And  in  life,  as  in 
railroad  management,  so  much,  either  for 
safety  or  danger,  depends  upon  the  working 
of  the  switches !  Later  in  the  summer  Con 
rad  came  to  realize  what  a  turning-point 
that  first  day  at  Ockley  had  been  for  him. 
At  the  time  it  was,  to  all  outward  seeming, 
much  like  other  first  days  in  new  places. 
They  drove,  walked,  talked,  and  became  ac 
quainted  rapidly.  For  the  parson  himself 
Conrad's  respect  and  liking  grew  steadily. 
He  was  "  right  there,"  as  country  people 
say ;  genial,  sensible  and  well  -  read,  a  de 
voted  mouser  among  all  the  old  writers  and 
thinkers,  yet  ready  always  with  a  liberal, 
albeit  shrewd  estimate  of  the  writers  and 
thinkers  of  to-day  ;  never  ponderous,  yet 
often  weighty ;  never  degenerating  either 
into  sarcasm  or  silliness,  yet  blessed  with  a 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  79 

keen  sense  of  humor,  and  finding  his  quiet 
amusement  in  much  that,  to  a  more  self 
ish  or  conceited  person,  would  have  proved 
merely  provoking.  A  simple,  happy-hearted 
man  whose  nature  was  as  an  open  book  for 
all  to  read  who  chose.  And  yet,  if  any  one 
should  fancy  he  had  sounded  it  to  its  depths 
in  one  such  reading,  he  would  find  himself 
most  egregiously  mistaken. 

Conrad,  recognizing  both  these  truths, 
found  his  liking  and  veneration  for  his  host 
momently  increasing.  As  for  Robin,  he 
hardly  knew  what  to  think.  He  liked  her  ; 
oh,  yes,  he  liked  her  immensely ;  but  she 
puzzled  him.  Just  such  a  combination  of 
qualities  he  had  never  met  with  before. 
Laughing,  frolicsome,  fairly  over-brimming 
with  fun  at  one  moment,  grave,  quiet,  and 
thoughtful  at  the  next.  Ready  to  enter 
with  intelligent  enjoyment  into  all  her 
uncle's  more  sober  interests  and  pursuits, 
or  to  drop  all  these,  and  play  with  the  six 
variegated  kittens  that  sprawled  about  in 
the  sunshine  after  the  old  tortoise-shell  cat. 
Now  giving  utterance  to  some  well-formed, 
pithy  opinion,  that  told  of  real  study  and 
keen  insight,  anon  breaking  in  upon  some 
discussion  that  threatened  to  become  too 


80  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

prolonged,  with  a  bit  of  irresistible  drollery 
that  disposed  of  the  question  in  a  flash 
and  sent  a  laugh  stirring,  like  a  fresh  sum 
mer  breeze,  among  the  dry  bones  of  debate. 
So  womanly,  when  most  a  child  ;  so  child 
like,  when  most  a  woman ;  quaint  and 
queenly  at  the  same  time.  No  wonder  that 
for  this  first  day,  and  many  following,  Con 
rad  found  himself  intent,  absorbed,  watching 
and  waiting  for  what  the  next  development 
should  be.  The  worst  of  it  was  that  he 
found  himself  obliged  to  relinquish  the 
"  phase  "  theory.  It  would  n't  work.  One 
manifestation  was  as  truly  Robin  as  the 
other,  and  to  save  him  he  could  not  have 
told  in  which  mood  he  liked  her  best.  Char 
acter-study  was  his  vocation,  and  here,  he 
thought,  was  a  character  well  worth  the 
studying.  Accordingly  he  set  himself  to  the 
task  with  praiseworthy  devotion. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

"  The  sun,  slow  moving  round, 

Looked  from  the  bending  heavens  approval  sweet. 

There  was  no  jarring  sound  ; 
The  hours  took  off  the  sandals  from  their  feet, 

For  earth  seemed  holy  ground,  — 
A  temple  where  the  soul  her  God  could  meet." 

LUCY  LARCOM. 

WHAT  is  there  about  a  country  Sunday 
that  is  so  unmistakable?  The  sun  poured 
in  at  Conrad's  east  window  that  first  Sun 
day  morning  just  as  it  had  done  every  other 
morning  since  his  coming ;  but  it  seemed 
brighter,  somehow,  and  the  sky  seemed  bluer, 
and  the  grass  greener,  than  on  ordinary  days ; 
while  the  rooster's  crowing  sounded  fainter 
and  more  subdued  from  the  barn  -  yard,  and 
the  four  black  tails  of  Robin's  four  black 
cows  apparently  found  less  to  excite  their 
lashing  activity  than  usual,  as  their  owners 
filed  slowly  down  the  narrow  green  lane  to 
pasture.  Perhaps  the  flies  were  all  at  Sun 
day-school. 

Over  the  tops  of  intervening  trees,  borne 
clearly  to  his  ears  by  the  gentle,  southerly 


82  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

breeze  that  always  haunted  these  airy  hill 
tops,  came  the  sound  of  church  bells.  Con 
rad  laid  down  the  pen  with  which  he  was 
filling  a  sheet  to  Terry,  and  leaned  back  in 
his  chair  to  listen. 

In  the  great  cities,  where  heavy  pave 
ments  have  crushed  all  the  green,  glad  life 
out  of  poor  old  Mother  Earth,  and  where 
high  brick  walls,  and  smoke  from  factory 
chimneys,  have  done  their  utmost  to  blot 
from  sight  the  very  blue  of  heaven  itself, 
man's  invention,  ever  restlessly  striving  to 
make  art  supply  the  place  of  nature,  has 
given  us  the  chimes,  —  has  broken  up  swift, 
white  sound  into  tonic  rainbows,  that  flash 
and  quiver  forth  from  lofty  steeples,  to 
break  in  glad,  rhythmic  waves  over  the  roofs 
of  homes  innumerable,  shattering  to  silence 
among  cold,  hard  walls,  but  waking  in  hu 
man  hearts,  within  the  walls,  echoes  sweeter 
than  themselves,  of  joy  and  peace. 

Up  here  in  the  country,  chimes  were  un 
heard  of.  Not  every  meeting  -  house  was 
sufficiently  fortunate  to  boast  even  a  bell. 
That  in  the  Ockley  steeple  was  poor  enough, 
little  better  in  quality  than  such  as  hang 
in  the  belfry  of  every  academy  and  public 
school  round  about  our  good  city  of  Boston. 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  88 

Yet,  as  Conrad  sat  there  listening,  the  whole 
world  seemed  filled  with  melody.  The  brave 
old  bell  sent  forth  a  peal  to  the  hill-sides,  and 
the  hill-sides  flung  it  back  to  the  woods.  Peal 
after  peal,  and  echo  after  echo  meeting,  and 
blending  in  the  warm  June  air  ;  while  ever, 
as  they  fainted  and  died,  sweet  bird-voices 
took  up  the  refrain,  chanting  their  glad 
Te  Deum,  and  the  soft  wind  played  among 
the  pines  a  ceaseless  organ  accompaniment. 
"With  so  many  distractions  Conrad's  letter 
progressed  but  slowly.  As  he  completed 
and  placed  it  in  its  envelope  a  new  sound 
blended  with  the  general  harmony  outside, 
—  the  sound  of  wheels  on  gravel.  The  tall, 
antique  chaise  in  which  the  parson  was  wont 
to  take  placid  jogs  about  the  neighboring 
country  stood  before  the  door ;  and  by 
peeping  between  the  honey-suckle  sprays, 
Conrad  could  see  Robin  and  her  uncle  pre 
paring  to  mount.  The  former  paused,  with 
one  foot  on  the  step,  and  turned  her  head 
for  a  parting  word  with  Mrs.  Bloom,  who 
stood  in  the  door-way. 

"  Tell  Mr.  Faulkner,  please,  that  Abijah 
will  drive  back  for  him  in  time  for  church." 

The  young  man  referred  to  thrust  his 
head  out  among  the  clustering  vines,  and 
called  down  :  — 


84  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

"  Abijah  need  not  do  that,  Miss  Cary  !  I 
have  so  much  time  that  I  think  I  will  stroll 
along  at  my  leisure  presently.  Old  Nahum 
will  doubtless  agree  with  me  as  to  its  being 
the  better  plan." 

"Do  you  really  prefer  it?"  asked  the 
parson,  looking  up  in  his  turn.  "  The  horse 
can  come  back  as  well  as  not." 

"  I  really  prefer  it,  thank  you.  It  is  just 
the  day  for  a  walk.  Miss  Cary,  will  you 
walk  back  with  me  ?  " 

"  With  pleasure,  Mr.  Faulkner.  There  is 
a  bumble-bee  on  your  head  !  "  and  the  bright 
face  in  the  pretty  bonnet  extinguished  itself 
beneath  the  lumbering  chaise-top. 

Conrad's  head  maintained  its  position, 
despite  the  bumble-bee,  for  several  minutes 
longer.  Its  owner  almost  began  to  think 
that  the  bee  must  be  in  his  bonnet,  instead 
of  merely  lumbering  about  with  unsteady, 
pollen -lad  en  legs  over  the  thick,  wavy  crop 
of  his  brown  hair.  Else  why  was  it  that 
he  so  often  nowadays  found  himself  moon 
ing  away  his  time  as  he  was  doing  at  this 
identical  juncture,  his  eyes  riveted  to  the 
cracked  leather  of  the  old  chaise-top,  and 
all  his  wits  gone  wool-gathering?  He  had 
never  done  so  before.  Surely  there  must 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  85 

be  something  in  Ockley  air  that  exercised  an 
unusually  soothing  influence  upon  the  nerves. 

Whatever  that  something  might  be  it 
ceased  to  act,  apparently,  as  soon  as  the 
chaise  and  old  Nahum  were  lost  to  sight  in 
the  hollow  below  the  hill.  The  head  was 
drawn  back  quickly,  dislodging  the  bee, 
who  gave  vent  to  his  feelings  of  wounded 
dignity  in  an  angry  hum,  and  the  owner  of 
it,  whistling  softly  to  himself  the  while,  pro 
ceeded  to  make  ready  for  church. 

The  bell  was  again  ringing  from  the 
square  white  tower  when  Conrad  reached 
the  village,  an  hour  later.  The  church  it 
self  was  empty  ;  it  would  be  fifteen  minutes 
before  service  began,  and  he  amused  himself 
by  strolling  up  one  aisle  and  down  another, 
glancing  at  the  names  on  the  hymn-books, 
and  enjoying  the  cool  breeze  that  stole  in 
through  green,  closed  blinds.  On  the 
stained-wood  table  before  the  pulpit  was  a 
great  bunch  of  Robin's  lilies.  He  had  seen 
them  in  her  hand,  when  she  turned  to  look 
up  at  him,  as  he  stood  at  his  window. 

All  at  once  there  came  a  sound  of  singing 
from  the  basement  below.  Sunday-school 
was  over,  and  the  people  would  be  flocking 
in  directly.  He  made  his  way  to  the  pew 


86  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

in  which  the  hymn-books  bore  the  name 
"  Gary  "  stamped  in  gilt  letters  upon  their 
faded  binding,  and  which,  he  was  relieved 
to  find,  did  not  follow  the  custom  prevalent 
in  most  country  churches  of  being  directly 
under  the  pulpit,  but  was  a  little  back, 
where  one  might  see  the  preacher's  face  oc 
casionally  without  incurring  cramp  in  the 
back  of  the  neck,  or  rolling  one's  eye-balls 
up  into  indefinite  regions  at  the  risk  of 
never  bringing  them  down  again  in  safety. 
Sitting  here  while  the  farmers  and  the  farm 
ers'  wives,  their  sons  and  their  daughters, 
poured  in  in  a  steady  stream  till  the  little 
church  presented  the  appearance  of  a  gay, 
old-fashioned  flower-garden,  the  bright  bon 
nets  and  shawls  of  the  women,  contrasted 
and  set  off  by  the  sunbrowned  faces  of  their 
husbands  and  brothers,  as  hollyhocks  look 
all  the  more  glowing  and  brilliant  for  grow 
ing  against  an  old  picket-fence,  he  was 
suddenly  aware  of  a  low,  stealing  melody 
that  seemed  borne  in  on  the  June  air  with 
the  scent  of  roses  from  the  green  graveyard 
outside.  He  knew  it,  it  was  a  bit  from 
Schumann. 

There  could  surely  be  but  one  person  here 
who  would  play  such  music  as  that.      He 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  87 

was  not  surprised,  when  he  turned  and  looked 
up  at  the  gallery,  to  see  Robin's  delicate 
summer  dress  peeping  out  between  the  broad 
shoulders  and  showy  ribbons  in  the  "  sing 
ers'  seats."  It  did  surprise  him  somewhat 
to  behold  Cy,  in  decorous  Sabbath  attire 
and  with  hair  sleeked  smooth  to  his  head, 
arduously  pumping  away  at  the  organ  bel 
lows,  his  eyes,  as  well  as  his  exertions  would 
permit,  fastened  on  Robin's  face,  and  so  lost 
in  the  music  as  to  be  often  near  forgetting 
the  important  part  he  was  himself  playing 
in  its  production.  Conrad's  pleasure  in  the 
organist's  skill  was  sadly  marred  by  his  con 
stant  uneasiness  lest  Cy  should  stop  blow 
ing  altogether. 

The  parson  preached  a  quiet,  forcible  ser 
mon,  the  singers  rendered  the  three  hymns 
with  an  enthusiasm  which  should  have  gone 
far  to  atone  for  any  lack  of  harmony,  the 
benediction  was  at  last  pronounced,  and  the 
flower-garden  emptied  itself  from  the  shady 
shelter  of  the  church  into  the  warmth  and 
sunshine  without.  Robin,  coming  down  last 
of  all  with  Cy,  met  Conrad  at  the  foot  of 
the  gallery  stairs. 

"  Cy,"  she  said,  laying  one  gloved  hand 
on  the  fat  boy's  arm  to  draw  attention  to  her 
words,  "  this  is  mv  —  this  is  Mr.  Faulkner." 


88  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

Cy  grunted. 

"  Cy  and  I  have  met  before,"  said  Con 
rad,  doing  his  best  to  suppress  a  smile,  and 
holding  out  his  hand  more  for  the  sake  of 
not  seeming  to  slight  Robin's  introduction 
than  because  he  felt  any  attraction  to  the 
boy  himself.  A  moment  later  he  was  glad 
he  had  done  so,  for  Cy's  look,  as  he  hesitat 
ingly  laid  his  own  within  it,  and  instantly 
withdrew  it  again,  smote  him  half  reproach 
fully  with  its  wistful  questioning.  The  poor 
fellow  could  not  be  so  utterly  unlike  other 
people  after  all,  since  he  had  wit  enough  to 
feel  the  difference  so  keenly. 

"  I  am  glad  you  did  that,"  said  Robin, 
gathering  her  light  draperies  about  her  from 
the  dusty  way  as  they  walked  off  up  the 
road  together,  leaving  Cy  sitting  on  the  low 
graveyard  wall,  whence  he  followed  them 
with  his  eyes  till  they  were  out  of  sight. 
"  Cy  has  quick  feelings  either  for  a  kind 
ness  or  the  reverse,  and  although  there  are 
always  plenty  of  people  ready  to  amuse 
themselves  with  him,  and  many  more  to 
patronize  or  pity,  there  are  very  few  who 
would  meet  him  on  equal  ground  as  kindly 
and  cordially  as  you  did." 

Her  words    pricked  Conrad's    conscience 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  89 

even  more  sharply  than  Cy's  look  had  done  ; 
but  then,  on  the  other  hand,  they  made  him 
gladder  too. 

"They  call  Cy  a  fool,"  went  on  the  girl, 
gravely,  with  a  quick,  earnest  look  into  his 
face  as  if  demanding  of  him  a  truer  judg 
ment,  "but  that  is  a  mistake.  He  was  a 
mere  child  when  he  met  with  a  terrible  ac 
cident,  and  —  he  has  stayed  a  child,  that  is 
all." 

"  I  see,"  said  Conrad,  quietly  ;  and  they 
walked  on  for  some  moments  in  silence. 

From  time  to  time  the  young  man  stole  a 
look  at  his  companion,  unobserved.  There 
seemed  to  be  a  peculiar  charm  about  her  to 
day,  somehow.  Was  the  same  intangible 
Sunday  influence  which  he  had  already  felt 
in  other  things  at  work  here  also,  making 
the  sweet  face  more  winning  than  ever  in 
its  grave  beauty  ?  Or  was  it  —  could  it  be  ? 
—  the  bonnet !  He  had  never  seen  her  in  a 
bonnet  before. 

Somehow,  in  this  particular  instance,  char 
acter-study  was  proving  a  failure.  All  his 
observations  of  late  seemed  to  be  taking  the 
direction  rather  of  recognition  and  approval 
than  of  detection  and  analysis.  From  hav 
ing  begun  by  thinking  what  a  fresh,  piquant 


90  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

heroine  she  would  make  for  a  book,  of  which 
he  should  be  the  inspired  author,  he  had 
unconsciously  come  to  feel  as  if  they  were 
both  in  a  book  together,  and  the  author  were 
making  them,  or  him  at  any  rate,  think 
and  feel  and  act  about  as  he  pleased. 

Ah,  he  is  a  mighty  author,  and  an  acute  ! 
that  little  fellow,  with  a  quiver  for  an  ink 
stand,  who  points  his  sentences  with  sharp 
and  noiseless  arrows.  The  book  is  always 
of  the  "  No  Name  Series,"  too :  Mr.  Cupid 
is  a  skillful  novelist.  We  are  allowed  to 
read  far  on  in  our  pleasant  little  romance 
before  any  inkling  of  the  plot's  irresistible 
drift  dawns  upon  us.  Then,  of  a  sudden, 
some  memorable  day  it  comes !  that  breath 
less  moment  of  divination  when  we  know, 
beyond  all  possibility  of  doubt,  that  but  one 
of  two  endings  can  be.  Will  it  be  joy  ? 
Will  it  be  destruction?  Read,  and  see. 
There  is  no  such  thing  as  pausing,  no  such 
thing  as  skipping  ;  the  pages  slip  a  little 
faster,  that  is  all.  One  more  leaf  to  turn 
and  the  whole  drift  of  life  is  turning  with  it. 
Our  good  friends,  who  are  always  ready  to 
do  their  little  bit  of  over-shoulder  reading, 
whether  it  be  tragedy  or  love-tale,  exchange 
sagacious  nods,  and  go  their  way  to  guess 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  91 

and  prophesy  as  to  the  final  winding  up. 
All  but  one,  the  one.  Only  two  pairs  of 
eyes  may  read  the  rest,  only  two  hearts  shall 
ever  know  what  were  the  words  of  blessed 
ness  or  pain  with  which  the  fateful  volume 
closed. 

Stories  that  end  well,  stories  that  end  ill, 
stories    that   never   end   at    all ;    the   book 
shelves  of  the  world  are  full  of  them.    Happy  \ 
the  heart  that,  looking  with  love-strength 
ened  eyes  beyond  the  gloom  of  earth's  black 
"  Finis,"  can  read,  a  little  further  on,  heav- , 
en's  bright  "  To  be  continued !  " 

Conrad  was  still  in  the  early  half  of  his 
book.  That  it  was  the  work  of  no  novice  he 
felt,  rather  than  understood,  but  as  yet  he 
did  not  recognize  the  hand.  The  interest 
was  growing,  decidedly ;  this,  for  instance, 
was  an  exceedingly  pleasant  page. 

He  smiled  a  little,  half  unconsciously,  over 
his  own  fanciful  conceit,  and  Robin  caught 
him  at  it. 

"  It  would  be  too  hackneyed  to  make  the 
usual  offer  of  '  a  penny,'  Mr.  Faulkner ; 
suppose  I  were  to  offer  this,  instead,"  and 
she  laughingly  held  out  a  wild  strawberry 
which  she  had  that  moment  spied  among 
the  grass. 


92  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

"Thoughts  are  seldom  unmixed,"  said 
Conrad,  twirling  the  scarlet  fruit  upon  its 
slender  stalk,  "  they  are  mostly  '  human 
warious.'  I  believe  I  was  rather  absorbing 
than  thinking.  Such  weather  is  enough  to 
make  a  mental  sponge  of  a  man.  Do  you 
like  wild  strawberries,  Miss  —  Robin  ?  " 

"  You  do  not,  apparently,"  replied  she, 
flushing  a  little  at  the  new  name,  and  glan 
cing  significantly  at  the  berry  in  his  hand. 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  do ;  I  like  them  exceedingly  ; 
but  why  did  you  not  answer  my  question  ?  " 

"  If  I  were  to  say  yes,  you  would  probably 
request  me  to  eat  that  one." 

"  N-no,  I  hardly  think  so,"  said  Conrad, 
dubiously  ;  "  it  is  too  pretty  to  eat  alone.  If 
there  were  a  saucerf  ul  it  would  be  another 
thing.  But  what  if  I  did?"  he  added, 
abruptly,  "  why  should  n't  you  ?  " 

"  Because  I  never  take  back  a  thing  when 
I  have  once  given  it." 

"  Another  trait.  Do  you  know,  I  am  find 
ing  new  traits  in  your  character  all  the 
time." 

"  Is  n't  that  rather  to  be  expected  when 
one  makes  a  new  acquaintance  ?  " 

"  Ah,  thank  you  !  "  exclaimed  he  ;  "  that 
reminds  me.  I  knew  something  was  haunt- 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  93 

ing  my  memory.  Now  for  it !  Why  did 
you  leave  out  a  word  when  you  introduced 
me  to  Cy?" 

"What  word?"  began  Robin,  in  astonish 
ment,  and  then  instantly  remembered.  He 
saw  by  the  dropped  lids  and  quick  color 
that  she  knew  what  he  meant,  and  waited, 
with  that  bending,  masterful  look  into  her 
face  by  which  the  question  masculine  is 
wont  to  compel  the  reply  feminine. 

If  he  expected  evasion  or  denial  he  was 
disappointed.  Robin  always  took  a  dilemma 
by  the  horns.  There  was  neither  fear  nor 
falsity  in  the  clear  eyes  when  she  raised  them 
again  to  his  face. 

"  I  began  to  call  you  my  friend,"  she  said, 
quietly ;  "  and  then  I  remembered." 

"  Remembered  what  ?  Not  that  I  am 
your  enemy,  I  hope  ?  " 

An  amused  little  smile  was  her  only  an 
swer. 

"  I  see,"  said  Conrad,  "  you  attach  some 
very  deep  meaning  to  that  word  '  friend.' ' 

"Don't  you?" 

He  shook  his  head ;  not  exactly  in  denial, 
either. 

"I  am  sadly  afraid  that  I  have  always 
used  the  word  with  rash  indiscrimination. 
You  must  teach  me  better." 


94  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

"  Now  you  are  laughing,  and  I  am  in 
earnest."  There  was  a  little  ring  of  dis 
appointment  in  her  voice.  Conrad's  face 
changed  instantly. 

"  Indeed  I  was  not  laughing.  Or,  if  I 
was,  it  was  only  a  surface  laugh.  Miss 
Robin,  I  never  had  a  friend,  a  near  friend, 
in  my  life.  Miss  Constance  and  her  brother 
are  the  only  people  who  care  especially  about 
me,  and  they  are  more  like  parents  than 
friends.  You  must  not  wonder  if  I  hardly 
know  what  the  word  means.  What  does  it 
mean  ?  " 

Robin  was  silent  from  sheer  pressure  of 
speech. 

"  Well,  if  you  won't  tell  me,"  said  Con 
rad,  lightly,  "  I  must  consult  Webster ; " 
and  he  drew  from  his  pocket  a  little  travel 
ing  dictionary. 

"  Fl—  Fo—  Fr—  here  it  is.  Now  listen  ! " 
and  coming  to  a  halt  by  the  roadside,  he 
read  the  definition. 

"  '  Friend.  One  who,  entertaining  for  an 
other  sentiments  of  esteem,  respect,  and  af 
fection,  from  personal  predilection  seeks  his 
society  and  welfare.'  There,  how  is  that  ?  " 

"  Good,  —  as  far  as  it  goes." 

"  Does  n't  it  go  far  enough  ?  " 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  95 

"  Not  for  me." 

"  What  more  do  you  require  ?  " 

"The  impossibility  of  a  misunderstand- 
ing." 

"  Is  such  an  impossibility  possible  ?  " 

"  I  think  so,"  said  Robin  slowly,  poking 
a  stray  pebble  with  her  sun  umbrella,  and 
watching  the  operation  intently,  "  if  two  peo 
ple  never  allow  a  third  to  interfere,  and  if 
they  do  all  their  '  wondering '  aloud.  There 
can  be  no  real  friendship  without  entire 
confidence." 

"  That  is  indisputably  so.  I  accept  your 
amendment.  Dr.  Webster  stands  convicted 
of  a  grave  omission.  But  after  all  this  it 
comes  rather  hard  to  remember  that  you  will 
not  call  yourself  my  friend." 

"  You  misunderstood  me,"  said  Robin 
quietly.  "  I  only  meant  .that  it  was  not  rny 
place  to  assume  the  friendship." 

"  Or,  in  other  words,  '  it  takes  two  to 
make  a  bargain,'  "  said  Conrad,  gayly ; 
"  shall  we  make  one  ?  " 

Then,  as  Robin  still  kept  silence,  he  drew 
a  step  nearer  and  held  out  his  hand. 

"  Miss  Robin,  as  I  told  you  just  now,  I 
have  never  in  all  my  life  known  what  it  was 
to  have  such  a  friend  as  you  "  —  he  smiled, 


96  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

—  "  and  Dr.  Webster  describe.  If  you  will 
be  my  friend  I  promise  you  solemnly  that 
I  will  never  misunderstand  you  again,  and 
that  I  will  on  no  account  whatever  believe  a 
single  word  that  any  third  person  may  say." 

There  was  a  tone  in  his  voice  that  gave 
weight  to  the  light,  surface  words,  and 
Robin's  eyes,  in  the  swift  scrutiny  with  which 
they  were  raised  for  a  moment  to  his,  de 
tected  apparently  the  underlying  earnest 
ness  they  sought ;  for,  without  another  word, 
she  drew  her  right  hand  from  its  loosened 
glove,  and  laid  it  frankly  and  unhesitatingly 
in  his. 

Strange,  that  the  mere  touch  of  a  girl's 
hand  should  have  power  to  send  such  a  glad 
throb  from  heart  to  brain.  There  was  a 
wonderful  shine  all  at  once  in  the  handsome 
brown  face  turned  toward  her.  But  Robin's 
eyes  were  down,  and  she  did  not  see  it, 
neither  could  he  behold  their  tender  misti 
ness  beneath  the  veiling  lids ;  and  the  cool 
rose  of  her  cheek  told  no  tales.  They  climbed 
the  last  long  hill  together  very  slowly  and 
silently. 

Worthy  Mrs.  Bloom,  issuing  from  the 
porch  door  with  her  big  bell,  saw  them  com 
ing  ;  and  it  was  with  a  most  shrewd  and 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  97 

knowing  expression  of  countenance  that  she 
presently  went  in  again,  without  ringing, 
and  deposited  her  noisy  coadjutor  upon  its 
customary  bracket  by  the  dining-room  door. 

"  There  !  "  she  exclaimed  softly,  with  a 
warning  nod  to  her  own  reflection  from  its 
shiny  brass  surface.  "  You  hold  your  tongue, 
an'  I  '11  hold  mine." 

So  it  happened  that  when  the  two  reached 
the  porch  they  found  it  untenanted,  save  by 
the  restless  breeze  that  stirred  the  honey 
suckle  blooms  to  fragrance. 

"  Remember,  Miss  Robin,"  said  Conrad, 

as  they  parted  at  the  stair  head ;  "  I  have 

your  own  word  for  it  that  when  you  have 

once  given  a  thing,  you  never  take  it  back." 

7 


CHAPTER  V. 

"  I  with  uncovered  head 
Salute  the  sacred  dead, 
Who  went,  and  who  return  not." 

LOWELL. 

THE  bright  hours  rolled  themselves  to 
gether  like  drops  of  quicksilver.  They 
gathered  to  days,  and  the  days  to  weeks. 
Life  was  at  compound  interest  in  the  bank 
of  enjoyment,  —  that  queer  bank  where 
capital  doubles  and  trebles  with  such  amaz 
ing  velocity  that  one  comes  to  be  a  million 
aire  in  happiness  before  one  is  well  aware. 
Alas  for  the  man  who  thinks  to  cash  his 
check  in  this  strange  currency  at  will !  Old 
Father  Time  is  an  absconding  cashier,  and 
at  the  flood  tide  of  prosperity  the  too  trust 
ful  depositor  finds  the  doors  closed  against 
him.  The  bank  has  suspended  payment ! 

Conrad  Faulkner  was  not  a  pauper  yet, 
by  any  means.  On  the  contrary,  he  was  in 
that  first,  delicious  flush  of  foi-tune  when 
both  hands  fairly  overflow  with  golden  op 
portunities  for  self-selected  work  and  play. 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  99 

He  was  writing  his  first  novel,  and  who 
ever  has  tried  it  knows  that  to  be  suddenly 
let  loose  from  the  treadmill  of  literary  job- 
work  to  roam,  unimpeded,  over  the  limitless 
pastures  of  one's  own  imagination,  is  a  sen 
sation  unparalleled  and  indescribable.  His 
pastures  were  uncommonly  fresh  and  juicy, 
too.  Robin  and  the  parson,  with  their  keen 
appreciation  of  all  things  original  and  quaint, 
and  their  wide  experience  of  country  life 
and  ways,  proved  able  and  interesting  as 
sistants.  Many  a  long  jaunt  did  the  two 
gentlemen  take  in  the  old  chaise  together, 
and  many  a  queer  characteristic,  or  spicy 
bit  of  dialogue,  found  its  way  into  Conrad's 
note-book,  as  the  result  of  these  morning 
drives.  And  while  his  note-book  fattened 
on  the  bountiful  fare  provided  for  it,  his 
sketch-book  kept  even  pace.  Robin  herself 
dabbled  in  water-color,  and  many  a  valuable 
bit  was  transferred  to  paper  to  be  worked 
up  more  fully  at  some  leisure  moment  in  the 
future. 

But  if  the  young  man's  writing  hours 
were  uninterrupted,  and  his  progress  toward 
the  temple  of  Fame  reasonably  swift  and 
sure,  it  was  often  through  no  merit  of  his 
own.  Many  a  time  did  the  parson  laugh- 


100  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

ingly  turn  his  back  upon  him,  and  refuse  to 
talk  until  working  hours  were  over,  while 
Robin  would  retreat  to  the  kitchen  upon  the 
stroke  of  nine,  and  never  reappear  within 
his  range  of  vision  until  dinner  was  on  the 
table. 

Mrs.  Bloom  had  been  as  good  as  her 
word.  In  her  own  peculiar  province,  she 
put  forth  all  her  energies  to  render  herself 
agreeable  to  the  parson's  guest,  who  found 
many  another  savory  dish,  as  well  as  the 
celebrated  pot-pie,  served  up  for  his  especial 
benefit  from  her  inexhaustible  repertory  of 
delectable  fare. 

He  had  grown  intimate  with  Cy,  too 
(who  had  never  forgotten  their  meeting  in 
the  church  porch,  and  would  have  gone 
through  fire  and  water  for  "  Miss  Robin's 
friend  "),  and  had  found  that  the  fat  boy's 
friendship  was  well  worth  cultivating,  for 
more  reasons  than  one.  Cy  knew  where  all 
the  trout-holes  were,  and  where  the  rarest 
flowers  and  ferns  were  to  be  found.  He 
could  always  tell  of  a  short  cut  to  any  de 
sired  locality;  and,  after  successfully  pilot 
ing  Conrad  to  the  very  most  desirable  point 
for  a  required  sketch,  was  always  ready  to 
lie,  for  hours  if  need  were,  upon  the  grass 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  101 

beside  the  camp-stool,  his  eyes  roaming  from 
the  artist's  face  to  his  developing  work, 
thence  away,  over  the  landscape  it  por 
trayed,  and  back  to  Conrad's  face  again. 
Thus,  reading  out  of  the  one  grand  book  to 
gether,  they  came  to  read  each  other  truly, 
too.  The  young  man  found,  behind  the 
stunted  outward  seeming  of  him  they  called 
a  fool,  a  wealth  of  fine  perception,  a  treas 
ure  of  warm  -  hearted  loyalty,  that  added 
reverence  and  amazement  to  his  pity.  He 
found  a  soul  shut  in  upon  itself,  and  not 
a  soul  benumbed ;  while  Cy,  on  his  part, 
looked  up  to  his  patron  as  to  a  strong,  wise 
angel  who  could  do  no  wrong. 

Conrad  had  now  been  for  three  weeks  at 
Highfield  Farm.  At  the  end  of  the  fort 
night  which  was  to  have  brought  July  and 
Terry  together  to  the  hills,  the  former  ap 
peared  promptly,  but  in  lieu  of  the  latter 
came  a  mournful  epistle  to  say  that  either 
out  of  spite,  or  from  too  high  living,  old 
Crabbe  had  "  gone  and  got  a  fit  of  the  golly- 
wobbles,  and  was  laid  up  at  home  to  the 
mutual  misery  of  his  housekeeper  and  him 
self  (Terry),  who  could  not  leave  his  grand 
father  to  shoulder  things  alone."  Upon  this, 
feeling  himself  called  upon  to  act,  Conrad 


102  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

heroically  announced  his  intention  to  de 
part  ;  but  he  soon  found  that  he  had  reck 
oned  literally  without  his  host.  The  parson 
was  severely  deaf  to  any  such  proposition. 

Was  he  tired  of  Ockley  ?  had  he  ex 
hausted  its  resources  both  for  literature  and 
art,  or  was  urgent  business  calling  him 
away  ? 

No,  he  could  plead  none  of  these  excuses. 

Then  why  did  he  want  to  go  ? 

Upon  which  the  young  man  spoke  out 
valiantly  for  the  truth,  and  said,  — 

"  I  don 't  want  to  go  !  " 

"  Then  stay,"  commanded  the  parson, 
visibly  pleased  with  his  guest's  candor. 
"  And  stay  as  long  as  business  and  pleasure 
will  let  you.  We  usually  flit  to  the  city 
ourselves  about  Thanksgiving  time,  to  give 
Robin  here  a  taste  of  worldly  pomps  and 
vanities ;  but  so  long  as  we  remain  you  are 
more  than  welcome.  And  if  you  wanted  to 
paint  the  hills  in  mid-winter,  Mrs.  Bloom 
would  only  rejoice  to  make  you  comfortable. 
Moreover,  you  are  under  contract  to  wait 
for  Terry." 

So  Conrad  stayed,  and  was  rewarded  by 
one  of  Robin's  most  radiant  smiles,  all  on 
his  own  account  this  time. 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  103 

Waiting  for  Terry  bid  fair  to  prove  an 
all-summer  amusement.  Terry  could  not 
get  away.  Business  had  "  picked  up,"  in 
spite  of  his  prognostications  to  the  contrary, 
and  old  Crabbe,  not  mellowed  apparently  by 
his  forced  sequestration,  had  fastened  his 
mercenary  claws  upon  him,  and  held  him 
fast.  August  would  be  dull.  He  might 
have  the  whole  of  August  if  he  wanted  it, 
but  not  a  day  in  July.  So  Terry  suc 
cumbed,  to  his  credit  it  must  be  owned, 
since  he  need  not  have  remained  an  hour 
behind  his  grandfather's  desk  had  not  his 
sense  of  duty,  and  the  strong  desire  to  be 
a  man,  which  lay  hidden  beneath  all  his 
boyishness,  held  him  to  his  post  by  bands  of 
might.  Doleful  notes  found  their  way,  from 
time  to  time,  from  the  weary  world  of  traffic 
into  the  upper  peace  of  Saints'  Rest,  where, 
it  must  be  confessed,  two  at  least  of  the 
beatified  evidenced  the  extreme  narrowness 
of  the  line  dividing  saint  and  sinner  by  the 
ready  serenity  of  their  acquiescence  in  the 
ordained  order  of  things  as  regarded  their 
suffering  friend  below.  To  be  sure,  on 
warm  afternoons  when  Robin  brought  her 
work  out  under  the  trees,  while  Conrad 
sketched  or  lounged,  and  the  parson  read 


104  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

aloud  to  them  both,  there  would  come  a 
momentary  twinge  of  conscience  as  they 
thought  how  insufferable  the  heat  must  be 
in  city  counting-houses  and  upon  the  glaring 
wharves.  But  the  breeze  from  the  moun 
tains  blew  soft  and  refreshing  in  spite  of  the 
thermometer,  and  the  parson  gave  them  such 
delicious  bits  from  his  old,  leather  -  bound 
English  cronies,  that  even  conscience  itself 
was  charmed  to  rest ;  and  the  old  Adam  so 
far  got  the  upper  hand  as  to  rejoice  that 
their  happy  trio  was  not  yet  broken  up  into 
a  quartette. 

Our  hero  was  fast  gaining  such  an  insight 
into  the  true  and  possible  meaning  of  the 
word  "  friendship  "  as  made  him  wax  well- 
nigh  contemptuous  of  the  abilities  of  our 
modern  Noah.  After  all,  neither  an  ark 
nor  a  dictionary  will  hold  everything.  The 
Patriarchs  did  their  best ;  but  Robin  was 
not  a  patriarch,  neither  was  she  tied  down 
by  any  limitations  of  space.  The  whole 
universe  of  thought  and  life  was  hers 
through  which  to  define  the  one  word  that 
had  been  given  her.  And  such  an  uncon 
scious,  winning  grace  pervaded  her  every 
fresh  manifestation  that,  half  unwittingly  to 
himself,  the  word  began  to  condense  in  Con- 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  105 

rad's  mind,  and  to  spell  itself  with  four  let 
ters  instead  of  ten. 

He  always  rose  with  the  sun  now.  Hav 
ing  had  a  taste  of  the  early  bird's  worm,  the 
appetite  for  more  grew  to  a  craving.  Many 
a  pound  of  butter  passed  through  his  hands 
on  its  way  from  churn  to  market.  He  grew 
to  be  as  expert  with  the  spats  as  Robin  her 
self;  and  the  invention  and  execution  of 
novel  and  unique  designs  came  to  be  a  mat 
ter  of  rivalry  between  them.  The  dairy 
was  transformed  into  a  studio,  and  the  par 
son  declared  that  the  breakfast  -  table  was 
fast  degenerating  into  a  mixture  of  the 
Place  de  la  Concorde  and  the  South  Sea 
Islands,  so  numerous  were  the  illustrious 
martyrs  there  decapitated  by  the  butter- 
knife  and  devoured  on  muffins  and  waffles. 

"  I  am  thinking,"  remarked  the  reverend 
gentleman  one  morning  as  he  thoughtfully 
cut  a  generous  slice  from  the  back  of  Sav 
onarola's  head  and  handed  it  across  the  ta 
ble  to  Conrad,  "  I  am  thinking  of  taking  a 
run  down  to  Deake  to-day." 

"  Give  me  his  nose,  please,  Uncle  Ike,  if 
you  are  helping  me.  I  would  rather  eat  it 
than  look  at  it.  There  's  something  wrong 
about  the  hook." 


106  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

"  That  comes  of  trying  to  distinguish  your 
self,  '  by  hook  or  by  crook.'  For  my  part, 
I  believe  I  prefer  flowers  to  folks  when  it 
comes  to  butter.  This  eating  a  monk  for 
breakfast,  and  a  queen  for  dinner,  and  mak 
ing  a  Herod  of  one's  self  at  night,  savors 
too  strongly  of  moral  dyspepsia.  But  about 
this  going  to  Deake.  You  won't  mind  my 
being  away  for  a  day,  and  that  trust  busi 
ness  ought  to  be  attended  to.  I  shall  go  to 
the  clearing  first  to  consult  with  Miss  Doris, 
and  then  take  the  train  at  the  Cross  Roads. 
Abijah  can  drive  me  over  and  bring  the 
horse  back,  and  while  he  is  there  he  may  as 
well  get  the  cutter-bar  mended.  We  shall 
need  it  next  week." 

"Abijah  was  going  over  to  the  South  Pas 
ture  this  forenoon  to  salt  the  cattle." 

"So  he  was  !  And  that  should  be  done 
right  away.  Abijah  will  need  to  use  Nahum 
this  afternoon,  too,  otherwise  I  might  keep 
him  all  day.  Well,  I  can  put  off  my  busi 
ness  to  a  better  time,  I  suppose." 

"  No  need  of  that,"  said  Conrad,  "  why 
cannot  I  drive  you  over  as  well  as  Abijah, 
and  get  the  cutter-bar  mended,  too  ?  " 

"  To  be  sure  ;  so  you  could.  The  drive 
is  a  pleasant  one.  Only  I  fear  you  might 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  107 

get  tired  of  waiting  for  me.  The  Misses 
Cleppitt  are  rather  lengthy  in  conversation, 
and  I  shall  have  to  do  just  about  so  much 
talking." 

"  And  I  don't  believe  an  hour's  tete-d-t£te 
with  Nahum  would  be  very  exhilarating," 
added  Robin.  "  Mr.  Faulkner,  if  you  take 
my  advice,  you  will  explore  the  old  grave 
yard  there.  There  are  some  epitaphs  that 
would  make  a  newspaper  man's  fortune. 
Only  you  must  not  put  any  of  them  into 
your  book  ;  every  one  does  that  nowadays." 

"  Well,  really  my  dear !  "  exclaimed  the 
parson  in  mild  remonstrance,  "  if  it  comes  to 
a  question  of  exhilaration  between  Nahum 
and  a  graveyard,  give  me  the  horse,  by  all 
means  !  " 

Conrad  and  Robin  laughed,  but  the  latter 
did  not  yield  her  point. 

"  A  burying-ground  is  composing,  at  all 
events,  and  there  is  nothing  composing  about 
Nahum  in  fly-time.  Besides,  Mr.  Faulkner, 
this  one  that  I  speak  of  is  really  interesting. 
It  is  a  relic  of  by-gone  times." 

"  So  is  Nahum,"  put  in  the  parson.  "  How 
ever,  Conrad,  since  she  says  so  you  may  as 
well  yield  the  point  with  a  good  grace.  You 
will  have  to  come  to  it.  It 's  to  be  hoped 
you  enjoy  burying-grounds." 


108  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

"  I  do,  rather.  I  spent  an  evening  last 
summer  in  one  at  the  foot  of  Monadnock, 
and  felt  half  inclined  to  take  up  my  abode 
there  for  good  and  all." 

"  I  should  judge  it  was  through  no  fault 
of  yours  that  you  did  not,"  remarked  the 
parson,  dryly,  with  a  shrug  of  his  broad 
shoulders.  "  When  your  bones  get  to  be  as 
old  as  mine  you  won't  throw  them  round 
among  damp  sods  quite  so  recklessly.  But 
come !  if  you  have  eaten  as  much  of  that 
gentleman's  back  hair  as  you  care  to,  and 
won't  take  another  muffin,  let  us  be  going. 
It 's  not  a  long  drive,  but  Job  Curtis  will 
want  all  the  time  there  is  between  this  and 
dinner." 

"  Uncle  Ike  !  you  betray  a  degree  of  igno 
rance  which  is  simply  shocking,"  said  Robin, 
gazing  tenderly  at  Savonarola's  golden  relics. 
"  Monks  don't  have  any  back  hair." 

"  No,  I  believe,  come  to  think  of  it,  they 
make  it  all  up  into  shirts.  Uncomfortable 
that  must  be,  very.  But,  my  dear  child,  was 
that  really  intended  for  a  monk,  or  was  it 
—  a  monkey?"  And  the  parson  fled,  just 
in  time  to  escape  the  rose  which  Robin  threw 
at  him  from  the  basket  in  the  centre  of  the 
table. 


HIGH-LIGHTS,  109 

"  Did  ever  any  one  see  so  undignified  a 
Dominie !  Really,  Mr.  Faulkner,  there  is 
no  such  hurry.  It  always  takes  Abijah  fif 
teen  minutes  to  harness.  Won't  you  have 
something  more  ?  " 

"  Nothing  but  this,"  stooping,  as  he  spoke, 
to  pick  up  the  rose  which  lay  on  the  floor. 
"  What  do  you  mean  to  do  with  yourself 
this  morning?" 

"  Make  a  strawberry  short-cake  for  your 
dinner,  for  one  thing.  This  is  baking-day." 

"  Baking  it  will  be  in  more  senses  than 
one,  I  fancy.  Would  you  not  do  better  to 
omit  the  short-cake  ?  " 

"  You  may  answer  that  question  when 
dinner-time  comes,"  said  Robin,  following 
him  to  the  porch.  "  Be  sure  to  find  Launce- 
lot  Owen's  gravestone.  I  will  tell  you  more 
about  him  one  of  these  days.  Good-by, 
Uncle  Ike.  You  shall  have  Louis  Four 
teenth  for  your  supper,  wig  and  all !  " 

"  So  be  it,  my  dear,"  responded  her  uncle 
submissively.  "  His  wig  will  be  easier  to 
digest  than  his  morals.  I  shall  rather  enjoy 
giving  the  old  fellow  a  bite.  Take  good 
care  of  yourself,  little  girl,  and  try  to  make 
the  day  pass  pleasantly  for  our  friend.  Get 
up,  Nahum !  " 


110  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

These  drives  were  the  most  restful  and 
entertaining  things,  in  their  way,  that  Con 
rad  had  ever  participated  in.  Nahum  was 
a  vastly  different  specimen  of  horseflesh 
from  the  blooded  roans,  and  bays,  and  chest 
nuts  driven  by  various  of  his  New  York  ac 
quaintances  ;  and  yet,  under  certain  circum 
stances,  there  is  a  rare,  peculiar  pleasure  in 
jogging  about  the  country  after  a  scrubby 
old  nag  such  as  he.  A  horse,  especially  a 
family  horse,  is  generally  one  of  two  things 
by  the  time  he  rounds  his  twentieth  year. 
He  is  either  a  wise  beast  or  a  dead  one. 
Nahum  had  chosen  the  former  alternative, 
as  became  the  namesake  of  a  prophet.  He 
was  very  wise.  In  some  matters  the  parson 
was  a  mere  baby  beside  him.  He  had  a 
sharp  nose  for  a  parishioner.  Wagon  after 
wagon  might  pass  unnoticed  if  its  owner 
were  a  stranger ;  but  let  one  heave  in  sight 
containing  a  member  of  his,  and  his  master's, 
legitimate  flock,  and  the  knowing  beast  would 
draw  up  alongside  and  come  to  a  dead  halt, 
well  assured  that  the  parson  was  not  to  be 
let  by  without  a  prolonged  "  word  or  two." 
There  were  certain  door-yards  which  he 
could  never  be  persuaded  to  pass  unvisited, 
certain  others  which  he  could  hardly  be  in- 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  Ill 

duced  to  enter ;  while  invariably,  as  they 
drew  near  the  village  store  where  Mrs. 
Bloom  did  her  "  trading,"  he  would  turn  one 
questioning  eye  upon  his  driver  as  if  to  ask, 
"  Have  we  any  errand  here  to-day  ?  " 

Conrad  had  already  clapped  him  into  his 
book,  and  daily  studied  him,  as  he  would 
a  human  being,  for  fresh  developments  of 
character. 

The  roads  radiating  from  Ockley,  as  a 
centre,  were  well-nigh  innumerable.  This 
morning  they  took  one  which  Conrad  had 
never  traveled  before,  and  struck  off,  north 
ward,  into  the  very  heart  of  the  hills.  Up 
one  side  of  a  steep  ridge  in  the  hot  sunshine 
of  a  day  which  promised  to  be  a  veritable 
scorcher  by  noon ;  down  the  other  side  into 
coolness,  and  shadow,  and  a  green  pervad 
ing  peace.  Now  through  some  small  settle 
ment,  where  the  only  notice  bestowed  upon 
trees  had  been  to  hew  them  down,  and  chop 
them  into  firewood,  great  piles  of  which  sent 
forth  a  resinous  breath,  in  dying  remon 
strance,  beneath  the  remorseless  sun  ;  again, 
into  the  solemn  minster-gloom  of  dense  pine 
woods  where  the  sunshine  durst  not  pene 
trate,  and  where  the  only  sounds  audible 
were  the  songs  of  birds,  and  the  softened 


112  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

thud  of  Nahum's  big  hoofs  upon  a  century- 
piled  carpet  of  brown  needles. 

"  There !  "  exclaimed  the  parson,  as  a 
horse  and  buggy  approached  them  through 
the  trees,  driven  by  a  spare,  solemn-looking 
man  in  black  clothes,  "  that  is  Mr.  Neal,  the 
Methodist  minister.  I  wanted  to  speak  with 
him  about  a  union  meeting  next  week. 
Whoa,  Nahum !  whoa,  sir  !  " 

But  Nahum  only  shook  his  wary  old  head, 
and  jogged  stubbornly  along.  The  man  in 
black  bowed,  very  cordially,  in  passing,  and 
forgot  to  look  solemn  for  a  moment. 

"  Well  —  well,  perhaps  I  shall  see  him  at 
his  house  on  the  way  back.  To  tell  the 
truth,"  explained  the  parson,  looking  a  trifle 
sheepish,  "  Nahum  has  a  most  unaccount 
able  prejudice  against  Methodists.  In  the 
whole  two  years  that  Mr.  Neal  has  been 
here  I  have  never  yet  been  able  to  get  a 
word  with  him  on  the  road.  I  sometimes 
think  the  brute  is  getting  to  be  one  too 
many  for  me.  See  how  he  listens ! .  He 
knows  what  I  am  saying  as  well  as  you  do." 

Upon  which  Nahum,  who  had  been  cock 
ing  one  ear  back  with  an  attentive  air,  im 
mediately  restored  it  to  its  normal  position, 
and  trotted  on,  the  picture  of  meek  sedate- 
ness. 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  113 

It  was  strange  how  the  villages  belied 
their  names.  Through  Woodside,  and  Pleas- 
anton,  and  Fairview,  —  places  destitute  alike 
of  shade  and  beauty,  —  they  came  at  length 
to  Cleppitt's  Clearing,  a  broad,  level  street, 
lined  on  either  side  with  noble  forest  trees, 
behind  which  stretched  away  well-kept  farms, 
the  undulating  land  hidden  from  view  by  its 
wealth  of  grain  and  close-growing  grasses, 
save  where  the  busy  mowing-machines  were 
fast  shearing  away  the  waving  green,  and 
leaving  a  smooth,  clean  carpet  in  its  stead. 

"If  it  were  not  that  the  ladies  Cleppitt 
are  never  prepared  to  entertain  any  one, 
even  an  angel,  unawares,  I  should  propose 
your  going  in  with  me,  "  said  the  parson. 
"  The  house  is  well  worth  seeing.  One  of 
these  days  Robin  must  introduce  you,  hav 
ing  carefully  notified  the  worthy  ladies  be 
fore-hand.  She  is  prime  favorite  with  the 
sisters.  Whoa,  Nahum  !  This  is  where  we 
leave  the  cutter-bar.  Job," — as  a  spare, 
bent,  sinewy  old  man  came  slowly  from  the 
shady  covert  of  the  vine -hung  smithy  at 
whose  door  they  now  drew  up,  —  "I  want 
you  to  be  sure  to  have  this  done  within  an 
hour.  You  can  do  it  easily,  if  you  choose. 
This  gentleman  will  call  for  it." 


114  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

The  old  man  took  the  cutter-bar  from  the 
chaise  and  carefully  scrutinized  it.  Then 
he  bent  a  sharp,  searching  gaze  upon  Con 
rad  from  over  his  iron  -  bowed  spectacles  ; 
and,  turning,  walked  back  into  his  smithy 
without  a  word. 

"  Another  character  !  "  quoth  the  parson, 
starting  on  again.  "  The  place  is  full  of 
them." 

The  houses,  standing  mostly  on  one  side 
of  the  street,  with  their  several  tillage  and 
mowing  pieces  on  the  other,  were  evidently 
old,  yet  built  with  a  careful  solidity  which 
defied  age.  They  were  many  -  gabled  too, 
and  well  supplied  with  quaint,  unexpected 
angles.  About  most  of  them  the  rich,  vel 
vety  turf  bore  witness  to  an  amount  of  cul 
ture  not  often  bestowed  upon  grass  —  as 
such  —  by  our  native  farmers  ;  and  the  faint, 
delicious  scent  of  box  stole  from  hidden 
garden-spaces  beyond. 

"  Surely  Cleppitt  was  an  Englishman  !  " 
was  Conrad's  only  spoken  comment,  as  they 
jogged  slowly  along  under  the  green  arcade. 

"  And  you  are  as  surely  a  Yankee  ! 
Your  guessing  faculty  is  thoroughly  well 
developed,"  laughed  the  parson.  "  But  come 
now,  —  tell  me  how  you  knew." 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  115 

"By  three  infallible  signs.  The  typical 
New  Englander  can  never  get  among  trees 
without  running  a  regular  muck.  Grass  is 
of  no  value  in  his  eyes,  except  as  it  stocks 
his  barns  with  hay.  Above  all,  —  he  ac 
knowledges  no  angle  save  a  right-angle." 

"  Robin's  reasoning,  to  a  dot !  I  declare, 
it 's  queer  how  like  you  two  are  in  your 
ways  of  thinking.  You  're  not  far  wrong. 
Cleppitt  was  a  Welshman.  He  came  here 
some  hundred  years  ago,  and  set  to  work  to 
turn  a  piece  of  New  Hampshire  into  a  piece 
of  Wales.  Succeeded  pretty  well,  too.  His 
brothers,  and  his  wife's  relatives  came  over 
and  joined  him,  and  among  them  they  made 
the  place  pretty  much  what  you  see  it  is 
now.  You  see  these  Welshmen  did  n't  ap 
prove  of  pine  wood  for  building  purposes, 
so,  as  soon  as  they  conveniently  could,  they 
set  to  work  to  build  houses  that  would  last. 
You  notice  that  all  these  which  you  see  are 
built  of  stone.  It 's  the  law  of  the  place, 
laid  down  by  will  from  father  to  son.  An 
other  stipulation  is  that  the  places  them 
selves  shall  always  be  kept  up  in  the  old 
way.  Well,  it  has  been  done,  so  far ;  but 
the  new  generation  that  is  coming  up  now 
has  considerable  of  the  Yankee  element  in 


116  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

it,  and  we  all  know  that  the  Yankee  element 
is  pretty  strong.  These  particular  home 
steads  will  probably  hold  their  own  as  long 
as  they  last ;  but  the  town  will  gradually 
grow  mixed,  especially  as  the  youngsters 
buy  up  new  land  for  themselves,  and  I 
rather  guess  that  if  David  Cleppitt's  ghost 
tries  to  walk  about  much  o'  nights,  he  will 
stumble  over  some  wooden  houses  before 
long.  Whoa,  Nahum  !  " 

The  parson  always  said  "  Whoa  !  "  It 
had  grown  to  be  a  habit  with  him,  much  as 
stopping  when  he  reached  his  destination 
had  grown  to  be  a  habit  with  the  old  horse. 
Sometimes  the  parson  got  the  start  of  Na 
hum,  but  oftener  Nahuni  got  the  start  of  the 
parson.  He  had  done  so  now ;  and,  when 
the  tardy  word  of  command  reached  his 
ears,  was  already  rubbing  his  nose  against 
a  well-worn  hitching-post  which  stood,  like 
some  ancient  sentry,  before  the  gateway  of 
the  oldest  house  they  had  yet  seen.  He 
took  no  notice  of  his  master's  idiosyncrasy, 
however,  but  merely  turned  a  slow  and 
placid  backward  look  upon  Conrad,  as  who 
should  say,  "  He 's  a  trifle  queer  at  times, 
but  he  means  well,"  and  then,  stretching 
his  long  neck  which  no  check-rein  was  ever 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  117 

allowed  to  cramp,  fell  quietly  to  munching 
the  tufts  of  juicy  clover  at  his  feet. 

"  Now  I  am  going  in  here,"  said  Mr. 
Gary,  "  and  you,  I  suppose,  are  bound  for 
the  graveyard.  No  need  to  lose  your  way. 
You  '11  find  it  right  ahead,  at  the  end  of 
the  road,  as  we  all  shall,  sooner  or  later ! 
Old  Cleppitt  seems  to  have  been  of  a  typ 
ical  turn  of  mind,  and  to  have  laid  out  his 
clearing  like  a  kind  of  bird's-eye  view  of 
human  life.  Good  -  by,  for  a  time  !  "  and 
the  parson  opened  the  tall,  Gothic  gate,  and 
went  his  way. 

There  was  no  trouble  about  finding  the 
graveyard,  certainly.  The  trouble  would 
have  been  to  avoid  it.  Square  across  the 
broad,  pleasant  street  it  stretched  itself ; 
the  end  of  all  things,  literally  as  well  as 
figuratively,  at  Cleppitt's  Clearing ;  its  wide, 
stone  entrance  standing,  like  the  arch  of 
the  Star,  to  commemorate  a  conqueror's 
triumph. 

Conrad  involuntarily  removed  his  hat  as 
he  passed  beneath  the  massive  portal.  There 
is  something  about  an  archway  which  impels 
one  to  this  act  of  reverence.  A  hen  is  no 
such  fool  when  she  bobs  at  the  barn-door. 
It  is  but  the  universal  instinct  stirring  within 


118  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

her  and  not,  as  some  people  would  have  it, 
a  mere  feminine  fear  for  the  safety  of  her 
coral-comb. 

Peaceful  as  the  whole  of  the  little  settle 
ment  seemed,  a  deeper  peace,  a  more  abid 
ing  hush  had  fallen  upon  the  old  inhabit 
ants  in  their  restful  graves.  The  very 
stones  themselves,  gray  and  moss-grown, 
leaned  and  slumbered  at  their  posts.  Some, 
for  which  the  drowsiness  of  years  had 
proved  too  powerful,  lay  prone  amid  the 
waving  grass  -  blooms,  like  Ibrahim  Ebn 
Abu  Ayub  in  his  subterranean  cave ;  while 
the  clover  blossoms  nodded  dreamy  heads 
above  them,  and  the  summer  wind,  like  a 
fair  enchantress,  lulled  them  to  forgetful- 
ness  with  her  magic  music. 

Quaint  old  place,  quaint  old  stones, 
quaint  old  epitaphs !  Ludicrous  enough, 
many  of  them.  A  newspaper  man's  for 
tune,  as  Robin  had  said.  Yet,  somehow, 
here  where  they  belonged,  where  the  old- 
time  influences  and  the  spirit  of  the  old-time 
originators  made  a  nameless  atmosphere 
about  them,  they  were  not  to  be  laughed  at 
exactly. 

The  hour  allotted  to  Job  Curtis  had 
grown  to  be  nearly  two  hours  when  the 


UIG11-LIGHTS.  119 

parson,  having  concluded  his  consultation 
with  Miss  Doris,  came  to  look  up  his  guest, 
and  found  him  half-lying  in  the  cool,  fra 
grant  grass,  back  to  back  with  a  tombstone. 
In  his  hands  pencil  and  paper,  and  in  his 
eyes  the  far-away  look  of  one  who  has  treed 
an  idea,  and  is  wondering  how  he  shall  get 
it  down. 

"  Come,  come !  this  is  not  so  bad,  young 
man.  Inspired  already  !  Old  Nahum  looked 
uncommonly  solemn  as  I  passed  him  just 
now.  I  had  small  hope  of  finding  you  till 
I  saw  him  still  standing  there.  It  seems 
Robin  knew  her  ground  when  she  declared 
a  graveyard  to  be  'a  composing  sort  of 
place.'  But  to  be  first-class  your  epic  needs 
a  hero.  Have  you  found  Launcelot  Owen, 
yet?" 

"  No,  I  have  n't !  "  exclaimed  Conrad, 
springing  to  his  feet  and  exchanging  the 
abstracted  gaze  of  genius  for  the  more  con 
centrated  one  of  eager  search.  "  I  meant 
to  have  had  another  look  presently,  but 
somehow  time  has  fairly  flown  since  I  have 
been  down  here  in  the  grass." 

"  Or  up  there  in  the  clouds,  hey  ?  "Well, 
you  are  but  another  living  instance  of  the 
way  in  which  people  turn  their  backs  upon 


120  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

the  very  things  they  are  looking  for.  Sup 
pose  you  examine  the  face  of  this  stone 
which  you  seem  to  have  had  such  a  leaning 
towards." 

Conrad  walked  round  to  where  the  par 
son  stood,  and  then  perceived  that  what  he 
had  been  leaning  against  was  a  plain,  moss- 
grown  tablet  of  slate,  simply  inscribed  as 
follows :  — 

LAUNCELOT  OWEN. 
DIED  FEBRUARY  15,  1801, 

Aged  40  years. 

Beneath  were  six  short  lines.  Conrad  was 
obliged  to  stoop  and  scrape  the  moss  away 
to  read  them. 

"  God  gave  me  a  hard  daye's  %vorke; 

But  I  did  not  shirke. 
Toe  them  that  doe  theyre  beste, 

He  hath  promised  reste. 
Soe  now  I  '11  creepe  toe  my  bedde, 

And  truste  him,  livinge  or  deade." 

"  Who  was  he  ? "  asked  Conrad,  when 
he  had  read  the  words  over  for  the  second 
time  ;  "no  ordinary  man." 

"  He  was  the  poet  of  the  neighborhood. 
The  only  one  it  ever  boasted,  I  fancy.  Peo 
ple  came  to  him,  for  miles  around,  to  fur 
nish  epitaphs,  occasional  verses,  and  the  like. 
For  the  rest  he  was  a  farmer ;  grand-uncle 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  121 

of  the  two  old  ladies  whom  I  have  just  been 
calling  upon.  Robin  can  give  you  his  whole 
history.  He  is  a  hero  of  hers.  But  now  I 
shall  have  to  hurry  you  away  from  this  con 
genial  atmosphere  if  we  are  to  catch  the 
train." 

Old  Nahum  turned  a  deeply  reproachful 
look  upon  them  as  they  came  up  to  where 
he  stood,  the  parson  having  fetched  him 
along,  and  left  him  waiting  near  the  ceme 
tery  gate. 

"  We  keep  on  a  bit,  to  the  station,"  said, 
the  latter  gentleman,  as  he  gathered  up  the 
reins.  "There  is  a  small  settlement  over 
beyond  here,  known  to  the  unregenerate  as 
Paradise,  because  one  is  obliged  to  pass 
through  the  graveyard  to  get  to  it.  The 
locomotives  stop  there  for  water." 

There  was  a  train  just  drawing  away 
from  the  big  water-tank  as  they  reached 
the  cross-roads.  The  parson  slid  nimbly 
from  the  chaise  and  gained  the  rear  plat 
form. 

"  Good-day  !  "  he  shouted.  "  Don't  wait 
for  Job,  if  he  is  not  ready.  Abijah  can  stop 
there  later." 

The  train  puffed  away,  and  Conrad,  turn 
ing  his  horse's  head,  drove  back  to  the 
smithy. 


122  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

The  old  smith  gave  him  another  look 
over  his  spectacles  as  he  came  in.  The 
cutter-bar  was  lying  on  the  floor,  untouched. 
Job  was  tinkering  up  an  old  andiron.  If 
he  had  expected  the  gentleman  to  make  any 
remarks  he  was  disappointed.  Conrad  sat 
isfied  himself  that  the  bar  was  as  it  had 
been,  and  then,  without  even  a  second  glance 
toward  the  recusant  proprietor  of  the  prem 
ises,  turned  on  his  heel  and  walked  away. 
A  low,  toothless  chuckle  sounded  after  him 
as  he  drove  off,  and  looking  round  he  saw 
Job  take  up  the  slighted  piece  of  work  and 
turn  to  his  forge. 

"  If  he  knew  that  it  was  to  be  called  for 
again  to-day,  I  suppose  he  would  let  it 
alone,"  thought  the  young  man,  laughing. 
"  He  hopes  to  be  able  to  tell  the  parson 
that  it  has  been  ready  and  waiting  a  long 
time.  Well,  his  bright  hopes  are  doomed 
to  disappointment.  Get  along,  old  horse  ! 
dinner  is  ready."  And  Nahum  quickened 
his  pace,  scenting  his  oats  from  afar. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

"  All  the  sweetness  seemed  to  grow  and  grow, 

And  shine  forth  in  happy  overflow 
From  the  brown,  bright  eyes." 

THOMAS  WESTWOOD. 

ROBIN  was  standing  at  her  pantry  window 
when  Conrad  drove  into  the  dooryard  and 
up  to  the  hitching-post.  She  shook  her  head 
at  him  in  merry  reproof  as  he  came  toward 
her. 

"  Late  to  dinner,  Mr.  Faulkner !  Mrs. 
Bloom  has  been  sighing  like  a  furnace  over 
her  fresh  biscuit." 

"  Don't  mention  furnaces,  I  beg  of  you  !  " 
said  Conrad,  fanning  himself  with  his  Pan 
ama.  "  How  do  you  always  manage  to  look 
so  provokingly  cool  and  comfortable  ? " 
And  he  ran  an  approving  eye  over  the  pretty 
cambric  dress  she  wore. 

"  Because  I  have  n't  time  to  think  of  the 
heat,  perhaps,"  laughed  Robin.  "  Besides, 
one  must  be  cool  in  order  to  make  pastry. 
Look  at  that !  " 

"  That "  was   a  delicious   pile,  some  six 


124  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

inches  high,  composed  of  thin  rounds  of  the 
flakiest,  most  delicate  piecrust  interlaid  with 
crimson  strawberries,  and  powdered  with 
shining  sugar.  Over  the  whole  she  pro 
ceeded  now  to  pour  a  flood  of  yellow  cream ; 
and  held  the  glass  dish,  with  its  aggravat 
ing  contents,  up  for  Conrad's  inspection. 

"  I  trust  you  have  brought  home  an  appe 
tite,"  she  said,  gayly,  leading  the  way  to  the 
dining-room. 

"  No  need.  It  is  quite  capable  of  creat 
ing  one  for  itself. 

"  And  if  your  appetite  should  fail  (as  fail  full  well  it  may, 

For  never  saw  I  promise  yet  of  such  a  wilting  day), 

Press  where  you  see  this  short-cake  shine,  along  the  entry 

bobbin', 
And  be  your  cynosure  to-day  the  pastry  of  Miss  Robin !  " 

"Well  done!"  laughed  Robin.  "I 
would  clap  my  hands,  only  in  that  case  the 
standard  would  fall.  You  will  surely  be 
hungry  after  that  effort.  I  hope  so  at  all 
events,  for  I  have  given  you  a  cold  dinner 
to-day." 

"  Any  other  would  be  out  of  place.  It  is 
perfect.  I  '11  be  down  directly."  And, 
rushing  up  to  his  room,  he  wras  back  again 
by  the  time  Mrs.  Bloom  appeared  to  pour 
the  water. 

Hungry  or  not,  it  was  a  wondrously  pleas- 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  125 

ant  meal  to  the  young  man.  Robin  looked 
as  if  it  were  not  unpleasant  to  her.  There 
being  but  two  of  them,  the  usual  oval  of  the 
table  had  been  reduced  to  a  round,  and 
pushed  into  the  coolest,  shadiest  corner  of 
the  large  room.  Robin  could  best  have  told 
why  the  fresh  white  cloth  had  been  put  on 
to-day,  rather  than  to-morrow,  as  Mrs. 
Bloom's  good  old  Sabbath  habit  was.  And 
why  the  customary  plain  goblets  had  been 
superseded  by  dainty,  star-cut  glasses  match 
ing  the  bubble-like  decanter,  which  had  held 
fiery  old  Burgundy  in  grandmother  Gary's 
day,  but  was  now  innocent  of  aught  stronger 
than  lemonade.  A  cluster  of  nasturtiums, 
scarlet,  gold,  and  bronze,  made  the  centre  of 
the  table  gay  ;  and  the  shortcake  was  ably 
flanked  by  a  cold  chicken  on  the  one  side, 
and  a  plate  of  puffy  rolls,  over  which  Mrs. 
Bloom  had  certainly  sighed  to  some  purpose, 
on  the  other ;  while  crisp,  cool  lettuce,  with 
its  dressing  in  a  queer  little  pitcher  beside 
it,  threw  an  air  of  refreshment  over  the 
whole. 

"Launcelot  Owen  would  have  written  a 
poem  upon  such  a  scene  as  this,"  said  Con 
rad,  carving  the  chicken  with  outward  se- 
dateness,  but  great  interior  exultation.  It 


126  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

was  so  wonderful  to  be  sitting  at  table  with 
Robin  opposite,  and  no  one  else  near.  For 
the  moment  it  was  almost  as  if  the  table 
were  his  own  —  and  hers  ! 

"  Then  you  found  him." 

"  I  found  him.  But  the  fact  might  have 
remained  forever  unknown  to  me  had  your 
uncle  not  called  my  attention  to  it.  I  was 
leaning  casually  against  the  stone,  feeling 
after  an  idea  that  hovered  about  me  like  a 
mosquito,  just  out  of  reach.  It  struck  me 
afterwards  that  perhaps  that  particular  spot 
might  be  a  favorite  hovering  place  for  such 
winged  gentry." 

"  Not  at  all  unlikely.  That  the  man  had 
the  soul  of  a  poet,  I  shall  always  maintain. 
Some  of  his  verses  have  the  true  ring.  We 
will  ransack  the  Cleppitts'  library  for  his 
old  manuscripts  some  day.  I  have  found 
one  or  two  blank  books  half  written  through 
already." 

"  Can  you  recall  any  of  the  sentiments 
therein  contained  ?  " 

"  I  have  copies  of  several,  and  there  are 
one  or  two  which  have  stayed  by  me  of  their 
own  accord.  Notably,  eight  short  lines  to 
a  toad." 

"  Toads  and  salad  go  well  together,"  said 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  127 

Conrad,  handing  her  a  plateful  of  the  cool, 
curling  leaves  and  proceeding  to  help  him 
self.  "  Can't  I  have  him  now  ?  " 

So,  while  he  cut  and  dressed  his  lettuce, 
Robin  repeated  :  — 

"Thou  repulsive,  squat-backed  toad 
Fatly  hopping  in  my  road ! 
Shall  I  hurl  thee  from  the  way, 
With  rough  foot,  or  let  thee  stay? 
Haply  thou  may'st  find  me  too 
Not  a  handsome  thing  to  view. 
Poor  soft  wretch  !  I  '11  let  thee  be. 
God  made  toads,  and  God  made  me." 

"  Fatly  hopping  !  "  quoted  Conrad,  with 
fork  poised  in  air.  "  I  can  see  that  toad. 
Yes,  we  must  rummage  the  Cleppitt  library. 
I  want  Launcelot.  He  is  unique.  Can't 
you  tell  me  more  about  him?  " 

"  Yes,  a  good  deal.  I  have  hunted  him 
up  pretty  thoroughly,  through  family  rec 
ords  and  Miss  Doris's  memory.  To  begin 
with,  he  was  a  Welshman.  I  suppose  Uncle 
Ike  has  given  you  some  idea  of  people  and 
things  at  the  Clearing.  How  it  was  settled, 
and  so  forth." 

"  He  told  me  a  little." 

"  Well,  to  give  you  '  the  heads  '  as  they 
say  hereabouts  :  When  Arthur  Cleppitt  and 
his  wife  came  over  in  1795,  they  left  behind 


128  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

them,  among  other  friends,  Mrs.  Cleppitt's 
brother,  Launcelot  Owen.  And  it  was  pretty 
well  understood  in  the  family  that  he  was 
only  to  remain  behind  long  enough  to  give 
the  girl  he  was  engaged  to  time  for  making 
up  her  mind  and  her  clothes  to  emigrate  to 
America  with  him.  The  clothes  got  made, 
but  I  fancy  material  fell  short  in  the  other 
direction,  for  one  day  in  the  following  spring 
Launcelot  walked  in  upon  them  at  the  Clear 
ing  all  alone.  He  had  grown  old  and  thin 
and  grave  since  they  parted  from  him,  but 
not  a  word  would  he  say  as  to  what  had 
changed  either  himself  or  his  prospects. 
Only,  in  the  course  of  the  year,  among  other 
news  from  Wales,  came  the  tidings  of  the 
girl's  marriage  to  another  man,  a  friend  of 
Launcelot's,  who  had  grown  up  with  him 
from  boyhood. 

"  For  fifteen  years  Mr.  Owen  lived  on  with 
his  sister  and  her  husband ;  a  hard-work 
ing,  studious,  silent  man.  Children  and  ani 
mals  found  a  loving,  tender  friend  in  him. 
From  people  in  general  he  kept  aloof,  ex 
cept  when  his  ready  quill  or  skillful  hands 
could  render  any  one  a  service.  But  the  ser 
vice  was  always  given  with  few  words.  Let 
ters  from  home  he  would  never  read  nor 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  129 

hear  read,  and  the  children  were  bidden  to 
hold  their  tongues  upon  all  such  topics.  At 
last  he  died,  from  a  sickness  brought  on  by 
jumping  into  the  mill-pond  in  mid-winter 
to  save  a  poor  old  dog.  The  last  thing  he 
did  was  to  write  his  own  epitaph,  which  you 
have  seen." 

"  I  shall  see  it  in  a  new  light  next  time. 
Poor  fellow  !  fifteen  years  of  living  alone  in 
a  crowd.  For  doubtless  a  man  who  was 
black  and  blue  all  over  would  find  even  half 
a  dozen  whole -bodied  neighbors  sadly  op 
pressive." 

"  It  might  have  been  worse,"  remarked 
Robin,  severely  dry ;  "  he  might  have  mar 
ried  Celia  Jane.  When  you  have  read  his 
journals,  and  bits  of  things,  as  I  have,  you 
will  wonder  what  manner  of  creature  she 
could  have  been  to  give  him  up." 

"  I  don't  want  ter  hurry  ye  a  mite,  but 
this  is  circle  afternoon,  an'  it 's  goin'  on  two 
o'clock.  I  've  peeked  in  twice  afore,  but  ye 
seemed  so  kinder  contented  I  hated  ter  dis 
turb  ye." 

Conrad  laughed,  and  Robin  grew  a  shade 
rosier.  "  It  is  all  my  fault,  Mrs.  Bloom  !  "  ex 
claimed  the  former.  "  I  plead  guilty  to  being 
the  only  contented  one.  Miss  Robin  cannot 


130  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

be,  of  course,  for  she  has  not  had  any  din 
ner.  Let  me  give  you  another  bit  of  chicken, 
and  some  of  the  salad,"  he  entreated,  turning 
to  Robin  as  the  housekeeper  departed  in  tri 
umph,  with  her  hands  full  of  plates,  knives, 
and  forks. 

"  No,  thank  you.  I  have  had  an  ample 
sufficiency,  as  Mrs.  Bloom  would  say.  You 
may  have  all  these  things,"  she  added  to  that 
reentering  worthy.  "  I  want  Mr.  Faulkner's 
exclusive  attention  for  this  shortcake." 

The  shortcake  and  its  maker  had  the 
young  man's  exclusive  attention  for  the  re 
mainder  of  the  meal,  and  it  must  be  con 
fessed  that  the  one,  in  its  own  peculiar  way, 
deserved  it  quite  as  much  as  the  other. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

"  The  racing  river  leaped  and  sang 

Full  blithely,  in  the  pleasant  weather. 
All  round  the  mountain  echoes  rang, 
For  blue  and  green  were  glad  together." 

JEAN  INOELOW. 

"  ARE  you  very  busy,  Mr.  Faulkner  ?  " 

"  Not  a  bit,"  returned  Conrad  with  alac 
rity,  laying  aside  his  pen,  and  springing  up 
to  meet  Robin,  who  at  that  moment  entered 
the  room,  dressed  in  her  tramping  suit  of 
blue  and  green  plaid.  The  hat,  with  its 
gleaming  peacock's  breast,  hanging  from 
one  hand,  and  a  grandmotherly  little  brown 
wicker  basket  in  the  other. 

"  This  library  is  a  pleasant  place,  but  out 
of  doors  is  pleasanter.  Where  are  we  bound 
for  this  time  ?  " 

"I  think  I  won't  tell  you  much  about  it 
beyond  advising  you  to  bring  your  letters 
with  you,  if  they  are  finished,  to  put  your 
sketch-book  into  your  pocket,  and  to  prepare 
yourself  for  taking  notes." 

"  All  of  which,  being  translated,  means 


132  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

that  we  are  bound  for  the  post-office  ;  ami 
that  on  one  side  or  the  other  of  that  point 
you  will  introduce  me  to  some  fresh  aspects 
of  nature,  animate  and  inanimate.  I  would 
give  a  pretty  penny  for  a  glimpse  at  your 
mental  notes,  Miss  Robin.  You  have  a  keen 
eye  for  character  which  would  be  invaluable 
to  an  author." 

"  And  am  I  not  giving  an  author  the  ben 
efit  of  it  ?  "  she  retorted  gayly,  as  she  put  on 
her  hat  and  turned  away. 

"  Which  reminds  me,"  said  Conrad, 
gathering  up  sketch-book  and  letters,  and 
following,  "  that  I  completed  the  third 
chapter  of  my  story  this  morning.  Suppose 
you  were  to  look  it  over,  some  time  when  you 
have  nothing  better  to  do,  and  give  me  your 
opinion." 

"  Suppose  I  were,"  assented  Robin,  nod 
ding  her  head  sagely,  to  hide  the  quick  flash 
of  pleasure  in  her  eyes,  "  and  suppose," 
she  added,  half  mischievously,  half  in  ear 
nest,  —  "  suppose  I  should  n't  like  it.  How 
very  awkward  that  would  be  !  " 

"  Not  at  all.  Nothing  is  ever  awkward 
between  friends,  you  know.  If  you  do  not 
like  it,  you  will  simply  tell  me  so,  and  I 
shall"  — 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  133 

"Alter  it?  Oh,  no,  you  won't!  be 
cause  "  — 

"Well?" 

"  Because  you  are  a  man,  you  know.  Un 
cle  Ike  often  asks  my  advice  about  his  ser 
mons  ;  but  he  never  takes  it  —  never." 

"  I  shall  take  it,"  said  Conrad,  quietly. 
"  I  shall  take  this  enormous  basket,  too." 
And  he  skillfully  abstracted  it  from  her 
hand  as  he  spoke. 

"  But  you  must  not  take  that  path  or  we 
shall  part  company.  I  am  going  this  way." 

"  This  way  "  meant  a  precipitous  plunge 
down  a  rough,  stony  bank  at  the  left,  into 
a  meandering  and  heavily  shaded  foot-path, 
which,  after  they  had  patiently  unraveled  its 
twistings  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  brought 
them,  by  an  abrupt  and  bewildering  turn, 
face  to  face  with  the  river. 

"  Here  is  a  mystery !  "  exclaimed  Conrad, 
eying  with  much  surprise  the  little  green 
boat  that  floated  in  the  shadow  of  a  huge 
rock  to  which  it  was  moored.  "  How  have 
I  been  in  Ockley  so  long  and  never  discov 
ered  this  Snug  Harbor  ?  " 

"  Oh,  Ockley  abounds  in  mysteries,"  re 
plied  Robin,  enjoying  his  astonishment. 
"  There  are  one  or  two  still  remaining  for 


134  hlGH-LIGHTS. 

you  to  fathom.  If  you  are  very  good  indeed 
I  may  spoil  another  for  you  before  we  get 
home.  Uncle  Ike  told  me  to  entertain  you 
while  he  was  gone,  you  know,  and  he  won't 
be  back  before  nine  or  ten  o'clock." 

"I  will  be  good,  —  very  good.  But  how 
shall  I  begin?" 

"  By  letting  me  row  you  down,  and  — 
would  you  mind  holding  the  basket  right 
side  up  ?  because  I  don't  believe  it  can  im 
prove  cup-custards  to  stand  on  their  heads." 

"  Your  stern  command  shall  be  obeyed," 
said  Conrad,  seating  himself  obediently  be 
side  the  tiller  when  he  had  drawn  the  little 
craft  to  the  bank,  handed  Robin  in,  and 
pushed  off  again.  "  But  my  heart  misgives 
me  in  regard  to  the  cup-custards !  I  sup 
posed  they  were  flowers.  Had  n't  you  bet 
ter  —  interview  them,  and  find  out  just  where 
they  do  stand  ?  " 

"  You  may,  if  you  like,"  said  Robin,  gath 
ering  an  oar  into  either  hand.  And  as  she 
spoke,  she  brought  her  boat's  head  dexter 
ously  about,  and  began  to  row  down-stream 
with  a  slow,  steady  dip  of  the  oars  that  told 
of  long  experience.  She  watched,  with  a  lit 
tle  amused  smile,  while  Conrad,  handling  the 
basket  with  great  respect  now,  proceeded  to 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  135 

unfasten  and  raise  the  cover,  and  peep  under 
the  white,  fringed  napkin. 

"  What  cups  !  "  was  all  he  said.  And 
then  he  quietly  replaced  the  napkin  and 
closed  the  basket. 

"  Cups  !  "  echoed  Robin,  "  are  the  custards 
nowhere  then  ?  " 

"  The  custards  are  all  right ;  that  is,  I  sup 
pose  they  are.  But  the  cups  are  regularly 
eerie.  And  so  are  those  slices  of  golden 
foam.  W  itches'  fare,  I  call  it.  Are  you  a 
witch,  Miss  Robin  ?  " 

"  I  can  make  sponge  cake." 

"  Can  you  ?  then  no  one  else  can.  I 
fancied  I  had  seen  sponge  cake  before,  but  I 
never  have.  Are  we  on  our  way  to  a  picnic, 
please  ?  " 

"  No.     We  are  on  our  way  to  Janet." 

"  And  what,  or  who,  is  Janet  ?  if  I  may 
ask.  Is  she  the  witch  ?  " 

"  She  is  two  or  three  things." 

"  That  settles  the  question  beyond  a  doubt. 
The  description  corresponds  with  the  cups. 
It  also  accounts  for  the  appetite." 

"  Appetite  ?  Oh,  you  mean  the  supply 
is  large,  I  suppose.  Janet  has  two  mouths 
to  feed." 

"  Horrible  !     And  does  one  mouth  require 


136  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

custard,  while  the  other  craves  sponge 
cake  ?  " 

Robin's  merry  laugh  went  ringing  up  the 
river. 

"  One  mouth  is  hers,"  she  said,  demurely, 
"  the  other  Cy's." 

"  Sighs  ?  over  such  cake  as  that  ?  Clearly 
this  Janet  is  an  undeserving  character.  I  've 
a  mind  to  eat  it  myself." 

"  Better  not.  It 's  eerie,  you  know.  You 
might  get  bewitched." 

"  True,"  assented  Conrad,  gravely,  though 
there  was  a  queer  look  at  the  corners  of  his 
mouth.  "  There  is  danger,  I  believe.  Janet 
shall  have  her  own."  And  placing  the  bas 
ket  carefully  under  the  seat  as  if  to  remove 
as  far  as  possible  all  danger  of  witchcraft,  he 
took  off  his  hat  and  settled  himself  comfort 
ably  back  in  the  stern,  his  eyes  wandering 
from  point  to  point  along  the  river-bank,  and 
coming  back  frequently  to  rest  for  a  brief  in 
stant  upon  the  graceful,  girlish  figure  before 
him. 

They  rounded  a  curve,  and  came  into  deep 
er  water.  Under  the  shadow  of  the  bank 
it  looked  black  and  cool,  and  the  trees  bent 
over  till  they  fairly  trailed  their  long,  droop 
ing  branches  in  the  stream.  In  and  out 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  137 

among  the  shadows  darted  slim  river-fish  — 
noiseless  gray  presences,  with  vacuous  eyes. 
Robin  drew  in  her  oars,  and  they  floated,  si 
lently,  with  the  current. 

Suddenly,  as  the  boat  drifted  in,  more  and 
more,  toward  the  shore,  Conrad  rose  to  his 
feet  and  made  a  hasty  clutch  at  one  of  the 
great  gray  rocks  above  them.  The  clutch 
accomplished  nothing,  however,  save  a  vio 
lent  rocking  of  the  boat,  and  the  imminent 
danger  of  a  cold  plunge  for  himself. 

u  I  beg  your  pardon !  "  he  exclaimed,  with 
a  rueful,  backward  glance.  "  I  had  no 
thought  of  making  such  a  commotion. 
There  was  something  in  that  cleft  of  rock 
that  I  wanted  —  and  did  n't  get." 

"  So  I  perceive,"  said  Robin,  with  her 
eyes  upon  the  one  wild  columbine  that  still 
made  a  scarlet  glow  of  color  against  the 
rock's  rough  background.  "  Next  time  you 
will  do  well  to  try  for  one  lower  down. 
There  is  a  whole  clump  of  them  within  easy 
reach !  "  and  she  pulled  her  left  oar  to  bring 
his  end  of  the  boat  nearer.  Conrad  laid  his 
hand  upon  the  oar  before  she  could  repeat 
the  stroke. 

"  Thank  you,"  he  said,  quietly,  "  but  if  I 
cannot  have  the  one  I  want,  1  won't  have 
any." 


138  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

Robin  looked  a  trifle  surprised.  This  was 
a  phase  of  character  which  her  friend  had 
never  manifested  before.  He  smiled  a  little 
as  he  caught  the  look. 

"  Do  you  believe  in  omens  ?  " 

A  quick,  questioning-  glance  was  her  only 
answer. 

"  I  hung  an  omen  round  the  stem  of  that 
columbine,  and  wanted  to  make  sure  of  it. 
The  attempt  was  a  failure,  as  you  saw." 

Robin's  eyes  went  back  to  the  speck, 
growing  rapidly  fainter  in  the  distance. 

"  What  shall  I  do  about  it  ? "  pursued 
Conrad,  gravely,  watching  her  face  as  she 
watched  the  flower. 

"  If  I  were  you"  —  she  paused. 

"  Well,"  a  smile  at  something  in  his 
own  thoughts  lightening  the  gravity,  "  let 
us  suppose  that  impossibility  accomplished, 
—  what  then  ?  " 

"  I  would  take  the  omen  off  again." 

"  But  that  is  impossible." 

"  Then  —  is  it  something  you  want  very 
much  ?  " 

The  smile  faded,  and  a  deep  earnestness 
came  into  his  voice. 

"  Very  much.  More  than  I  ever  wanted 
anything  in  my  life  before." 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  139 

The  dark  eyes  fell  before  his  steady  gaze, 
and  the  cheeks  below  them  took  on  a  faint 
reflection  of  the  columbine's  vivid  color. 

The  boat  had  emerged  into  a  sunny  stretch 
now,  and  the  oars  began  to  rise  and  fall 
again  with  measured  rhythm.  Just  ahead 
appeared  the  village  bridge,  with  its  cluster 
of  stores  at  one  end,  and  the  white  steeple 
at  the  other.  Robin  began  to  pull  her  left 
oar  again,  and  the  boat  drew  in  to  the  bank. 

Conrad  leaped  out  as  the  keel  grated  on 
the  stones,  and  reached  a  helping  hand  to 
his  companion. 

"  Then  "  —  he  repeated,  looking  straight 
into  her  face  as  she  laid  down  the  oars  and 
rose  to  her  feet. 

But  when  Robin  was  once  fairly  brought 
to  bay  she  never  flinched.  She  raised  her 
eyes,  and  looked  as  straightly,  and  more 
composedly,  at  him. 

"  Then  —  I  would  have  the  columbine !  " 

And  just  touching  his  extended  hand,  she 
sprang  lightly  past  him  and  led  the  way  up 
the  bank  into  the  village  street. 

Just  across  the  bridge,  and  beyond  the 
church,  there  was  a  sudden  rise  of  ground 
heavily  shaded  with  sugar-maples  of  mas 
sive  growth,  and  fringed  along  its  edges  with 


140  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

lusty  sumach  bushes  and  close  -  growing 
brakes.  A  narrow  foot-path  had  managed 
to  worm  its  way  through  these  stout  de 
fenders  of  the  height  above,  and  showed  its 
contrasting  line  of  earth-color,  only  to  be 
instantly  lost  to  view  again  in  the  dust  of 
the  street  it  sought.  To  this  point,  when 
the  letters  had  been  duly  delivered  into  the 
official  hands  of  Mr.  Ely,  Robin  led  the 
way.  Once  there,  she  paused,  provokingly. 

"Where  do  you  suppose  it  leads  to?" 
she  asked,  with  a  mischievous  smile. 

"  Beyond  the  fact  that  it  leads,  eventually, 
to  the  abode  of  Cy's  grandmother  I  am  at 
a  loss.  To  tell  the  truth  there  has  always 
seemed  something  so  charmingly  hidden  and 
mysterious  about  it  that  I  have  hesitated  to 
break  the  spell  by  exploring." 

"  Did  n't  I  tell  you  that  I  should  spoil 
another  mystery  ?  Come  and  see  !  "  And 
bending  her  head  to  clear  the  rather  low 
archway  of  green,  she  disappeared  in  a  flash. 

Conrad  followed,  expecting  to  find  him 
self  in  the  woods,  literally  as  well  as  figura 
tively.  When  lo  and  behold  !  the  valiant 
little  path,  making  but  one  right  -  angled 
squirm  behind  the  sheltering  sumachs,  came 
to  a  sudden  end  at  the  foot  of  a  flight  of 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  141 

irregular  stone  steps.  At  their  top  stood 
Robin,  laughing  down  at  him.  She  dis 
appeared  again,  however,  and  when  he 
reached  the  uppermost  step  was  nowhere  to 
be  seen.  Instead  he  beheld  a  low-roofed, 
black  cottage  ;  the  garden  space  in  front  of 
it  gay  with  hollyhocks,  and  sunflowers,  and 
clumps  of  brilliant  scarlet  sage.  The  old 
house  was  like  a  phoenix,  rising  from  out  its 
nest  of  flame.  Under  a  large  maple,  a  little 
removed,  sat  an  old  woman,  with  her  back 
toward  him,  spinning.  Her  white  cap,  the 
scant  folds  of  her  dull -tinted  stuff  gown, 
and  the  quaint,  carved  outlines  of  her  age- 
darkened  wheel  stood  out  from  the  glowing 
background  of  color  like  some  old,  old  pic 
ture. 

Involuntarily  the  keen  artist -look  came 
into  Conrad's  eyes,  and  his  hand  sought  the 
pocket  where  his  sketch-book  lay  in  ambush. 
Some  one,  who  had  been  also  lying  in  am 
bush,  came  up,  softly,  beside  him. 

"  I  told  you  you  would  want  your  sketch 
book!  "  cried  Robin,  in  a  triumphant  whisper. 

"  Only  keep  her  there  for  ten  short  min 
utes  !  "  implored  he,  in  the  same  tone,  "  and 
you  shall  have  the  sketch." 

"  A  bargain,"  said  Robin,  promptly,  and 


142  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

that  lie  might  not  have  opportunity  to  re 
pent  his  promise,  she  moved  quickly  away 
and  was  presently  standing  beside  the  nim 
ble  wheel. 

There  is  a  great  deal  of  expression  in  the 
backs  of  some  people's  heads.  Conrad 
knew,  by  the  quick,  pleased  bobbing  of  the 
white  cap,  that  the  face  within  it  was  all 
alight  at  sight  of  the  young  girl.  The  wheel 
came  to  a  stop  for  a  moment,  and  the  spin 
ner  made  as  though  she  would  have  risen, 
but  Robin  laid  her  hand  on  the  dull-colored 
sleeve  and  said  something,  smiling.  Then 
she  moved  round  to  the  other  side,  and  sat 
down  on  the  grass,  quite  out  of  the  way, 
and  the  old  woman  nodded,  and  twirled  her 
distaff. 

Conrad  looked,  and  sketched,  and  looked 
again.  To  be  sure  the  cap  would  whisk 
about  every  few  minutes,  as  though  its 
wearer  found  it  impossible  to  keep  her 
eyes  from  the  bright  face  at  her  side ;  and 
once  in  a  while  the  broad  shoulders  would 
shake  in  sympathy  with  the  clear  sweet 
laugh  that  floated  up  into  the  tree -tops. 
But  the  wheel  whirled  merrily  round,  and 
the  model  sat  very  still,  considering,  and 
by  the  time  the  allotted  ten  minutes  had 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  143 

stretched  themselves  to  twenty  the  outlines 
for  a  very  promising  little  picture  had  been 
secured. 

"My  friend,  Mr  Faulkner,  Janet,"  said 
Robin,  rising  from  her  lowly  position  as 
Conrad  came  round  to  where  she  sat. 

"  Mr.  Faulkner  is  vera  welcome,"  said  the 
old  woman,  quietly,  and  she  again  made  a 
motion  as  if  to  rise,  but  again  Robin  stopped 
her. 

"  No,  no,  Janet,  you  must  just  sit  still  I 
we  did  not  come  to  interrupt  you.  Mr. 
Faulkner  wants  to  learn  to  spin." 

"  I  never  saw  any  one  spin  flax  in  this 
country  before.  It  is  very  pretty  work, 
and  it  looks  easy  too,"  said  Conrad. 

k'  Ay,  't  is  pretty  work,  as  you  say,  and 
easy  enough  too,  like  many  another  thing, 
when  a  body  knows  how.  But  to  me  'tis 
not  so  much  the  work  itsel'  as  what  it  brings 
to  mind  that  makes  it  lightsome.  'T  is  my 
own  mother's  wheel  this,  and  well  I  mind 
how  busily  she  aye  kept  it  whirling.  She 
had  need,  too,  for  there  were  eight  of  us, 
lads  and  lasses,  —  and  never  a  factory  known 
in  those  days.  By  the  ingle  neuk  in  winter, 
or  by  the  burn-side  in  summer,  many  's  the 
long  day  I  've  seen  her  sit  to  spin  —  spin  — 


144  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

spin,  —  till  I  got  to  think  no  thread  fit  to 
use  else.  And  to  this  day,"  concluded  tho 
old  woman  proudly,  "  not  a  shred  of  cloth 
goes  to  my  back  but  what  my  own  hands 
make." 

Janet's  English  had,  from  long  usage,  so 
far  got  the  better  of  her  Scotch  as  to  allow 
the  latter  to  crop  out  only  in  occasional 
words  or  sentences,  which  gathered  and 
thickened  like  hailstones  as  her  interest  in 
the  conversation  grew,  until,  at  moments  of 
deep  excitement,  they  pelted  down  fast  and 
furious  on  the  devoted  heads  of  her  listeners. 

"  Janet,"  said  Robin  suddenly,  bringing 
her  eyes  down  from  the  green  labyrinth 
overhead,  which  they  had  been  dreamily 
threading  during  this  last  long  speech, 
"  I  am  going  to  put  these  much  enduring 
custards  into  the  cupboard  for  you,  and  then 
I  am  going  to  look  for  honey.  If  I  find  any 
may  I  have  it  ?  " 

"  Ay,  and  welcome,  lassie.  There  '11  be 
a  fine  bit  comb  in  the  middle  hive  ;  for  the 
bees  and  I  have  been  of  one  mind  about  it, 
and  it  hasna  been  meddled  with.  But 
what 's  to  do  with  the  friend  here,  shall  he 
go  too  ?  " 

"  No,  no  !  he  must  stay  with  you.     The 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  145 

bees  would  sting  him."  And  with  a  gay, 
backward  nod  from  among  the  riotous 
hollyhocks,  she  disappeared  in  the  shadow 
of  the  low  doorway. 

"  And  what  if  they  sting  her  ? "  asked 
Conrad,  following  her  with  a  look  that 
was  unconsciously  wistful.  "  Is  she  proof 
against  bees  as  against  all  other  harmful 
things  ?  " 

What  a  keen  glance  bent  itself  upon  him 
from  under  those  heavy,  gray  brows  !  The 
rugged  face  lit  up  for  a  brief  moment,  and 
then  the  wonted  look  of  quiet  impenetra 
bility  drew  over  it  again,  like  a  veil. 

"  Ay,  she  's  that !  "  said  Janet,  quietly ; 
"  proof  against  the  devil  and  all  his  works. 
Not  that  my  bees,  bonny  creatures,  have 
anything  in  common  with  him.  But  sin' 
ye  read  her  so  well,"  she  added  abruptly, 
"  step  yonder,  to  the  chink  in  the  bushes, 
and  take  a  peep.  It 's  no'  every  one  I  'd  be 
giving  the  privileege.  An'  now  we  '11  see 
what  like  man  he  is  ;  "  she  said  to  herself, 
as  he  thanked  her  with  a  smile,  and  walked 
away  in  the  direction  indicated.  "  If  he  be 
what  I  think  him  he  '11  scarce  stand  long  to 
glower  like  a  —  Na,  na  !  he 's  ta  'en  his  peep 
an'  come  away,  like  a  gentleman.  Weel, 


10 


146  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

Mr.  Faulkner,  ye  're  a  painter  they  tell  me  ; 
what  like  a  picture  is  yon,  think  you  ?  " 

"  Like  none  that  I  ever  saw  before  I  came 
to  Ockley.  I  have  seen  a  good  many  such 
since." 

"  Ay,  the  Lord  is  a  gran'  artist !  Heard 
ye  ever  Miss  Robin  sing  ?  " 

"  Never.     I  have  heard  her  play." 

"  Ah,  her  songs  are  not  for  all.  But  to 
my  min',  them  that  have  heard  her  will 
never  hear  aught  so  sweet  again,  till  they 
hear  the  angels.  Heard  ye  ever  her 
scold?" 

He  smiled,  quietly,  and  instantly  grew 
grave  again.  "  I  cannot  imagine  Miss 
Robin  scolding,"  he  said,  with  a  touch  of 
dignity. 

Again  the  light  flashed  into  the  old 
woman's  face.  But  this  time  it  lingered. 
She  ceased  her  work,  and  pushing  the  idle 
wheel  from  her  looked  up  into  his  face  with 
earnest  eyes. 

"  From  the  time  Miss  Robin  lay  in  my 
lap,  a  bit  baby,  till  this  day,  no  living  being 
ever  heard  a  cross  word  from  her  lips.  An' 
yet  she 's  a  fine  high  spirit,  like  all  the 
Carys.  Ah,  she  's  proud !  but  never  too 
proud  to  know  when  she  's  i'  the  wrong,  an' 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  147 

own  to  't.  Doubtless,  though,"  she  added, 
suddenly,  with  a  shrewd  glance  at  his  half 
averted  face,  "  doubtless  I  weary  you  with 
all  this.  It 's  an  old  nurse's  nonsense,  sir." 

He  turned  to  her,  from  some  thought  of 
his  own,  it  seemed. 

"  Is  it  ?  "  was  all  he  said ;  but  the  bright, 
approving  smile  filled  out  the  meagre  sen 
tence.  Just  at  this  moment  the  subject  of 
conversation  made  her  appearance  again, 
carrying  a  plate.  The  plate  itself  was  of 
common  ware,  but  gay  with  all  the  flowers 
that  never  grew,  and  upon  it  reposed  a 
heavy  and  perfect  white  comb  filled  with  its 
treasure  of  golden  honey.  The  fragrance 
of  whole  acres  of  clover  distilled  itself  upon 
the  summer  air  as  Robin  passed  along. 

"  I  had  to  steal  a  plate,  Janet,  because  it 
would  n't  go  into  the  basket  without  break 
ing  ;  and  besides,  paper  won't  hold  it.  Did 
you  ever  smell  anything  more  delicious  in 
your  life  ?  Talk  of  greenhouses  !  " 

"  Shall  I  carry  it  ?  "  asked  Conrad,  after 
an  admiring  survey. 

"  No,  indeed !  I  must  carry  it  myself. 
You  will  have  to  do  the  rowing  this  time,  if 
you  don't  mind." 

"  I  do  mind,  always.     I  minded  coming 


148  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

down,  and  I  shall  mind  going  back.  Did  n't 
I  promise  to  be  good  ?  " 

"  Ah,  it 's  easy  to  be  good  with  such  a  re 
ward  before  one's  eyes !  is  n't  it,  Janet  ?  " 
said  Robin,  with  a  laughing  look  at  them, 
and  an  appreciative  one  at  her  honeycomb. 

"  Ay,  wonderful  easy ! "  quoth  Janet, 
dryly ;  but  her  look  rested  higher  than  the 
painted  plate.  "  Come  again,  Mr.  Faulkner, 
when  it  pleases.  Any  friend  o'  Miss  Robin 
is  aye  welcome  here,  to  say  nothing  o'  Cy. 
Ye  Ve  been  vera  kind  to  Cy,  poor  fellow, 
he 's  never  wrearied  telling  about  it." 

"  Cy  has  been  very  kind  to  me.  We  are 
fast  friends." 

"  Cy's  friendship  will  do  ye  no  harm. 
Though  it 's  few  would  take  the  trouble  to 
fin'  that  out.  He  's  no  such  a  fool  as  folk 
would  make  him." 

"And  that  reminds  me,  Janet,  we  want 
Cy  to  help  us  find  some  trout-pools  to 
morrow.  We  are  going  over  beyond  Sage's 
hill.  Will  you  tell  him,  please  ?  Mr.  Faulk 
ner,  I  really  cannot  wait  for  you  to  get  all 
those  hollyhocks  by  heart !  Janet  will  let 
you  come  another  time  to  sketch." 

"  'Deed  will  I  !  an'  stay  as  long  as  he 
pleases.  I  '11  not  forget  to  tell  Cy,  Miss 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  149 

Robin.  If  there  's  any  one  can  fin'  the  trout 
for  you,  he  can,  an'  he  '11  be  gey  blithe  to  get 
the  chance." 

"  Ay,  but  they  're  the  bonny  pair  !  "  she 
muttered  to  herself,  as  Conrad  preceded 
Robin  down  the  steps  and  held  the  boughs 
aside  for  her  to  pass.  "  He 's  none  too 
lavish  wi'  his  words,  but  his  deeds  seem 
aye  ready  enough.  An'  when  the  tongue 
bides,  the  eyes  can  work  the  better.  It 's 
few  o'  her  looks  an'  needs  he  lets  go  by 
him.  I  doubt  he 's  nigh  fitting  even  for 
her,  an'  that 's  what  I  never  thought  to  see 
in  this  world,  after  my  experience  o'  the 
men  !  One  thing  I  know,"  and  there  was  a 
shrewd  light  in  the  deep-set  eyes,  and  a 
kindly  curl  to  the  puckered  lips,  "  if  he 
lives  to  be  a  cent'ry  old  he  '11  never  forget 
the  glint  he  got  o'  her  through  old  Janet's 
hedge,  stan'in'  there  wi'  the  sunshine  on  her 
hair  an'  the  flowers  at  her  feet,  an'  the 
bonny  brown  bees  flying  all  about  her !  " 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

"  Oh,  sweetly  my  love  sings  ! 
Like  a  shaft  of  light  her  voice  breaks  forth ; 

My  soul  to  meet  it  springs 
As  the  shining  water  leaped  of  old, 

When  stirred  by  angel  wings." 

JEAN  IXGELOW. 

CONKAD  rowed  slowly  up  the  river  in 
the  warm  afternoon  sunshine,  and  watched 
Robin,  who,  cosily  ensconced  in  his  old  place 
at  the  stern,  was  watching  in  her  turn  the 
cloud  shadows,  as  they  glided  noiselessly 
from  base  to  summit  of  the  nearer  hills,  the 
alternate  light  and  shade  gleaming  over  the 
rugged  slopes  like  sweet,  sudden  smiles  over 
old,  weather-beaten  faces,  and  lazily  trail 
ing  one  hand  through  the  cool,  dark  water 
that  each  stroke  of  the  oars  sent  rippling 
shoreward.  She  came  back  pi^esently,  with 
a  long  breath,  to  find  his  eyes  resting  in 
tently  upon  her. 

"  How  many  miles  of  journeying  does  that 
sigh  stand  for  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  To  tell  the  truth,  I   hardly  know  my- 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  151 

self,"  she  answered,  lightly.  "  Somehow 
the  river  always  makes  me  absent-minded. 
Handling  the  oars  is  the  only  thing  that  can 
ever  keep  me  from  drifting.  It  is  very 
stupid  of  me,  I  know." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  Conrad,  smil 
ing,  "I  never  said  so.  I  do  not  find  your 
drifting  at  all  unsociable.  Besides,  we  were 
both  drifting,  I  believe." 

"  Have  you  ever  seen  the  sunset  from  that 
high  ridge  beyond  the  sugar-house  ?  "  asked 
Kobin,  rather  abruptly. 

"  How  should  I  ?  You  have  never  shown 
it  to  me." 

"  As  if  sunsets  waited  for  a  showman  !  I 
thought  you  might  have  been  there  with  Cy, 
perhaps." 

u  No,  Cy  is  not  so  airy  in  his  movements 
as  some  people.  I  have  had  reason  to 
think  that  he  rather  eschews  rising  ground. 
He  took  me  three  miles  round,  the  other 
day,  to  avoid  crossing  Langley  Hill.  So  the 
top  of  the  ridge  is  where  you  have  just  come 
from!" 

"  Not  exactly.  But  I  have  been  wonder 
ing  whether  or  no  you  would  like  to  go  there. 
There  will  be  a  glorious  sunset  to-night. 
You  see  I  must  keep  you  amused,  somehow, 
till  Uncle  Ike  gets  back,  and  "  — 


152  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

"  And  as  you  find  it  an  extremely  labo 
rious  task,  you  think  of  coaxing  heaven  and 
earth  to  help  you  out !  Truly  I  am  com 
plimented." 

"  '  Trust  a  man,'  as  Mrs.  Bloom  says,  '  to 
twist  everything  to  his  own  advantage !  ' 
laughed  Robin.     "  But  will  you  go  ?  " 

"  Certainly  I  will.  I  must  be  amused,  as 
you  say." 

"  Then  we  will  have  tea  early,  so  as  to 
get  to  the  top  '  beforehand,'  to  quote  Mrs. 
Bloom's  remarks  again." 

"  Mrs.  Bloom  is  a  remarkable  woman. 
But  if  we  are  to  perform  such  an  unheard 
of  paradox  I  must  do  my  part."  And  the 
oars  began  to  describe  such  powerful  arcs 
as  sent  the  little  boat  fairly  flying  home 
ward,  upstream  though  it  wras. 

Although  tea  was  a  full  hour  earlier  than 
usual  that  night,  perhaps  no  more  striking 
example  could  be  found  of  the  rapid  de 
generation  of  the  human  race  since  the  days 
of  Sparta's  greatness  than  the  avidity  with 
which  this  strongly  -  built  and  muscular 
young  man  fell  upon  sponge-cake  and  honey ! 
To  tell  how  many  cups  of  tea  he  drank, 
merely  for  the  pleasure  of  seeing  it  poured 
out,  would  be  a  most  unhandsome  piece  of 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  153 

treachery.  Be  it  only  recorded,  then,  to  his 
lasting  credit  and  renown,  that  he  wanted 
another  dreadfully,  but  did  not  ask  for  it. 

The  shadows  were  slanting  longer  and 
longer  across  the  green  door-yard  as  the  two 
young  people  once  more  sallied  forth,  and 
down  the  lane,  past  brook  and  sugar-house, 
to  where  the  pasture  land  began  to  hump  it 
self  up  preparatory  to  forming  the  high 
shoulder  known  as  the  Ridge. 

Mrs.  Bloom,  carrying  cups  and  saucers, 
teapot  and  plates,  walked  thoughtfully  to 
and  fro  between  dining-room  and  kitchen, 
casting  now  and  again  a  keen  glance  after 
the  retreating  figures,  and  finally  came  to  a 
stand-still  before  the  cooking  stove. 

"  H'm !  "  she  ejaculated,  nodding  her 
head  sagely  at  the  big  black  kettle,  which 
was  steaming  away  within  two  feet  of  her 
nose  ;  "  mebbe  they  think  I  can't  see  a  thing 
like  that  when  it 's  right  afore  my  eyes  ! " 
Which  somewhat  peculiar  remark  appeared 
to  relieve  her  mind  to  such  an  extent  that 
she  roused  up,  and  went  to  work  with  a  will ; 
leaving  a  solitary  plate,  cup,  and  saucer  in 
readiness  for  the  parson  when  he  should  re 
turn  to  his  belated  meal. 

Meanwhile  the  two  whose  affairs  occupied 


154  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

so  prominent  a  place  in  the  worthy  house 
keeper's  thoughts  went  on  and  up,  all  un 
mindful  of  the  interest  they  were  exciting, 
till  the  belt  of  sugar-maples  that  skirted  the 
slope  gave  way  to  pines,  and  the  pines  in 
their  turn  dwindled  and  thinned  to  clumps 
of  sweet  fern  and  spires  of  mullein,  and  they 
came  out  finally  upon  the  bare,  rocky  crest 
just  as  the  sun  began  to  dip  down  behind 
that  particular  far  blue  peak  which,  at  this 
season,  he  was  wont  to  make  his  point  of 
disappearance. 

"  There  !  "  exclaimed  Robin,  sinking  down 
against  a  warm  wall  of  rock  with  a  sigh  of  in 
tense  satisfaction.  "  What  did  I  tell  you  ?  " 

"Not  half,"  returned  Conrad,  ungrate 
fully,  gazing  eagerly  forth  upon  the  heav 
ing  sea  of  hills  that  rolled  its  giant  billows 
round  about  them  on  every  side.  "  Who 
could  suppose  that  a  little  climb  like  that 
would  open  out  to  one  such  a  panorama? 
Is  n't  that  the  Camel's  Hump,  over  there  to 
the  right  ?  " 

"  Yes.  And  there 's  Monadnock,  and 
there 's  Ascutney,  and  there  's  —  oh,  look ! 
quick  !  quick !  there  he  goes.  Now  watch !  " 
They  watched,  and  watched,  while  the  clouds 
above  and  before  them  glowed  rosy,  and 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  155 

golden,  and  brown,  and  died  away,  like  heav 
enly  bonfires,  to  ashes  of  sombre  gray.  The 
shadows  darkened  and  deepened  in  the  val 
leys  and  mountain  -  clef  ts,  and  crept,  and 
crept,  and  grew  until  all  nature  seemed 
wrapped  in  dusky  twilight  as  in  a  veil.  Then 
up,  over  the  eastern  hills,  in  her  triumphal, 
unimpeded  progress  rose  the  moon,  full-orbed 
and  radiant.  They  turned  their  faces  from 
the  west,  as  from  a  royal  death-bed,  and  of 
fered,  courtier-like,  their  fealty  and  admira 
tion  to  the  fair  queen  whose  reign  was  just 
beginning. 

Down,  down  from  the  illuminated  hill-top 
where  they  stood,  rolled  the  gracious,  grow 
ing  light,  till  it  spread  itself  like  a  silvery 
mist  over  the  dark  sea  of  pines  below  them. 

Robin  gathered  her  white  shawl  closer 
about  her  shoulders,  and  turned  slowly  and 
reluctantly  to  go. 

"  Miss  Robin,  just  one  moment !  There 
can  never  be  so  perfect  an  hour  as  this  again. 
Won't  you  sing  for  me  ?  " 

His  hand  rested  lightly  on  her  arm  to 
stay  her  going,  his  look  rested  on  her  face 
with  eager  questioning.  In  his  thoughts 
Janet's  words  were  repeating  themselves. 
"  Ah,  her  songs  are  not  for  all !  "  Would 
they  be  for  him  ? 


156  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

At  his  words  a  little  wondering  smile  had 
crept  over  Robin's  face.  A  smile  with  a 
question  in  it,  as  if  she  would  ask  how  he 
had  so  suddenly  discovered  that  she  could 
sing.  But  she  said  nothing,  only,  after  a 
moment's  pause,  let  her  arms  drop  from 
their  folding,  and  hang,  with  the  hands 
loosely  clasped,  before  her  as  she  stood  lean 
ing  lightly  against  the  huge  gray  bowlder, 
her  face  turned  to  the  eastern  sky,  and  the 
white  summer  moonlight  falling  all  over  and 
about  her.  Then,  quietly,  she  began  to  sing. 

Conrad,  drawn  back  into  a  dark  corner 
the  better  to  see  and  hear  her,  fairly  held 
his  breath  as  the  full,  slow  notes  rolled  forth 
upon  the  stillness.  There  was  no  noise  in 
Robin's  singing.  The  sweet,  rich  voice  deep 
ened  and  swelled,  or  sank  to  softest  modula 
tions  ;  yet  at  its  strongest  there  was  ever  a 
strength  reserved,  at  its  faintest  it  was  ever 
pure  and  clear. 

What  that  first  song  was  Conrad  never 
could  remember.  The  glorious  tones  them 
selves  so  filled  heart  and  ear  as  to  leave  no 
consciousness  of  any  words.  Perfect  silence 
filled  the  pause  after  the  last  deep,  velvety 
notes.  She  waited  a  moment  and  sang 
again,  this  time  from  "  Elijah,"  "  Oh,  rest  in 
the  Lord !  " 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  157 

Still  silence. 

Then  the  thrilling  tones  were  poured  forth 
once  more  in  the  beautiful  Invocation  from 
the  "  Magic  Flute." 

Robin  was  just  a  little  surprised  when  the 
third  pause  brought  still  no  word  from  her 
one  listener,  sitting  far  back  in  the  shadow. 
She  broke  the  silence  herself. 

"  You  asked  for  one  song,  Mr.  Faulkner, 
and  I  have  sung  you  three.  Are  you  satis 
fied  ?  " 

"  No !  "  he  answered,  coming  forward  to 
her  side  again ;  "  but  I  do  not  know  how  to 
thank  you,  and  I  shall  never  forget  it." 
And  as  she  looked  up  at  him,  in  the  moon 
light,  she  saw  that  there  were  tears  in  his 
eyes. 

They  stood,  a  moment  longer,  looking  out 
over  the  boundless  expanse  of  glorified  dark 
ness.  Then  Robin  once  more  gathered  her 
shawl  about  her,  and  turning,  they  left  the 
hour  and  its  beauty  behind  them  forever, 
and  made  their  way,  silently,  down  the  steep 
decline  and  through  the  bare,  deserted  pas 
ture,  to  the  house  again. 

When  they  reached  the  porch,  the  usual 
evening  rendezvous,  old  Nahum  was  already 
to  be  seen  making  his  crab -like  way  up 


158  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

the  hill.  They  stood  and  watched  him,  or 
thought  they  did. 

"  This  has  been  a  beautiful  day,"  said 
Conrad,  slowly. 

"  Lovely.  And  to-morrow  will  be  just 
such  another.  The  very  most  perfect  weather 
for  our  tramp." 

"  I  was  not  thinking  of  the  weather  so 
much,  though  it  could  hardly  be  finer,  as 
you  say.  But  I  am  willing  to  accept  your 
prophecy  for  to-morrow  on  both  grounds." 

"  I  am  glad  if  to-day  has  passed  pleas 
antly  with  you,"  said  Robin,  demurely.  "  It 
relieves  my  mind  of  a  great  burden  to  hear 
you  say  so.  Uncle  Ike  will  be  sure  to  ask. 
I  know  he  felt  rather  shaky  as  to  my  enter 
taining  abilities." 

"  It  has  been  hardly  a  fair  trial  of  them, 
after  all.  You  had  Janet  and  the  moon  to 
help  you,"  retorted  Conrad,  mischievously. 

"  Janet  is  a  traitor !  She  told  you  about 
my  singing." 

"  She  told  me  that  you  did  not  sing  for 
every  one,  and  so  "  — 

"  And  so  you  thought  you  would  try  how 
much  I  would  do  for  you!"  exclaimed 
Robin,  half  indignantly.  "  "Well,  I  hope 
the  result  was  sufficient]}*  flattering !  " 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  159 

"  You  sang  for  me,  and  sang  divinely !  I 
shall  always  remember  that." 

There  was  an  earnest  ring  to  his  words  in 
which  mingled  no  smallest  trace  of  self- 
gratulation. 

"  Do  !  "  said  Robin,  proudly,  "  and  re 
member  also,  that  when  I  promised  to  be 
your  friend  such  experiments  became  un 
necessary.  Had  you  told  me  plainly  why 
you  wanted  a  song,  you  should  have  had  it, 
all  the  same." 

"I  believe  you!"  he  answered,  warmly, 
"  for  you  are  unlike  all  other  women  whom 
I  have  ever  met." 

"  You  must  have  met  some  delightful 
people,"  said  Robin,  her  momentary  dis 
pleasure  losing  itself  in  amusement,  "  if  I 
am  the  first  of  your  acquaintance  who  has 
ever  told  the  truth !  " 

"  Ah  !  but  then  they  have  almost  all  been 
delightfully  amiable.  Whereas  I  hear  that 

you"- 

"  Go  on." 

"  Have  a  quick  temper,  and  are  most  in 
ordinately  proud." 

Such  a  ringing,  joyous  laugh  as  went 
floating  out  into  the  moonlight!  In  its 
merry  waves  the  creaking  of  the  old  chaise, 


160  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

as  it  drew  up  before  the  door,  was  almost 
drowned. 

"  Oh  ho  !  Some  one  seems  to  feel  rather 
jolly,"  exclaimed  the  parson.  "  Guess  you 
have  n't  missed  me  much,  after  all.  Whoa, 
Nahum !  " 

"  Miss  Robin  was  making  merry  over 
her  own  shortcomings,  sir,"  said  Conrad, 
hastening  down  the  steps  to  assist  his  host. 
"  /have  missed  you  terribly." 

"  I  '11  warrant  it !  "  chuckled  the  parson, 
descending  cautiously,  as  became  old  bones, 
from  his  rather  tottery  perch.  "  She  is  a 
terribly  tiresome  kind  of  girl.  How  much 
country  has  she  dragged  you  over  to-day  ?  " 

"  '  Quite  a  piece,'  as  Abijah  definitely  re 
marks.  I  have  been  numbered  among  '  all 
who  travel  by  land  or  by  water.'  However, 
I  have  borne  it  fairly  well.  Let  me  take 
those  things."  And  he  proceeded  to  rob 
the  venerable  gentleman  of  kerosene  can 
and  molasses  jug,  not  omitting  to  secure 
also,  from  beneath  the  seat  of  the  chaise, 
the  gay  calico  mail -bag,  a  marvel  of  con 
struction,  inaugurated  by  Mrs.  Bloom,  "  ter 
pervent  mistakes." 

"  That  feller  Ely  is  forever  a  blunderin' 
an'  chargin'  it  to  other  folks.  We  '11  hev  a 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  101 

bag ;  and  then,  ef  there  is  a  mess  made, 
why  there  can't  be  no  backin'  aout."  So  the 
mail-bag,  with  its  jolly  yellow  palm-leaves 
on  a  brick-red  ground,  came  to  be  an  in 
stitution  in  the  neighborhood,  and  nightly 
swelled  or  shrunk  like  fancy  stocks  as  the 
case  might  be.  It  was  very  fat  to-night. 
Conrad  patted  its  buxom  sides  affection 
ately  as  he  gave  it  into  Robin's  outstretched 
hands.  Then  he  passed  on  through  the  din 
ing-room  where  the  parson  was  already  mak 
ing  progress  with  his  tea,  and  delivering  can 
and  jug  into  the  tender  keeping  of  Mrs. 
Bloom,  completed  the  circle  of  his  useful 
ness  by  way  of  the  back-door  and  the  grass- 
plot,  and  so  came  round  once  more  to  where 
Robin  sat  on  the  steps. 

"  Only  one  letter  —  for  Uncle  Ike.  The 
rest  was  all  newspapers." 

"  So  much  the  better.  We  can  forego 
the  luxury  of  a  kerosene  lamp.  How  moon 
light  rests  one." 

"  One  kerosene  lamp  ?  " 

"  One  burning  and  shining  light  like  my 
self.  Do  you  know  I  feel  as  though  we  had 
accomplished  a  great  deal  to-day.  And  yet, 
there  remains  one  thing  more  to  be  accom 
plished  before  I  sleep  !  " 


182  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

"Better  accomplish  it  quickly,  then,  if 
you  have  any  idea  of  a  nap  to-night.  Do 
you  know  what  time  it  is  ?  " 

"  Is  it  nine  ?  " 

"  No,  it  is  ten.  The  clock  has  just 
struck.  Shall  I  get  the  lamp  for  you,  after 
all?" 

"  Moonlight  will  be  quite  sufficient,  thank 
you." 

"•To  write  by?"  asked  Robin,  rising  to 
her  feet  with  a  puzzled  look. 

"  To  take  your  advice  by." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  I  mean  to  have  that  columbine,  or 
perish  in  the  attempt.  Good-night,  dear 
friend !  " 


CHAPTER  IX. 

"  All  wild  creatures  love  him 

When  he  is  alone, 
Every  bird  above  him 

Sings  its  softest  tone  ; 
Thankful  to  high  Heaven, 

Humble  in  thy  joy, 
Much  to  thee  is  given, 
Lowly  shepherd  boy." 

LETITIA  LANDON. 

WHETHER  the  Saturday's  walks,  or  the 
Monday's  fishing,  or  both  were  to  blame  for 
it,  Robin  could  not  tell ;  but  she  woke  on 
Tuesday  morning  with  a  hard  headache, 
which  made  her  glad  to  lay  her  head  back 
speedily  on  the  pillow,  and  forbade  her  at 
tempting  to  rise. 

"  She  '11  keep  her  bed  to-day,  anyhow," 
summed  up  Mrs.  Bloom,  making  her  unwel 
come  announcement  in  the  breakfast  room  ; 
"  an'  I  ruther  guess  ter  -  morrer.  An'  ef 
she 's  so  's  ter  be  up  a  Thursd'y  I  sh'll  be 
agree'bly  disapp'inted." 

So  the  two  gentlemen  poured  tea  and 
coffee  for  themselves,  helped  to  their  own 


164  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

soup  and  pudding,  worried  a  good  deal  in 
side  while  making  strenuous  efforts  to  ap 
pear  jolly  outwardly,  and  were  generally 
miserable  ;  although,  to  a  casual  observer, 
they  would  doubtless  have  presented  quite  a 
cosy  and  comfortable  appearance. 

The  parson  could  relieve  his  mind  by 
occasional  audible  outbursts ;  but  after  the 
first  expressions  of  concern  on  Conrad's 
part  nothing  further  seemed  called  for  from 
him  beyond  occasional  inquiry.  So  he  was 
fain  to  bottle  up  his  real  anxiety  and  wait, 
with  what  patience  he  might,  for  further 
developments. 

A  long  tramp,  some  letter  -  writing,  and 
various  talks  with  the  parson  finally  dis 
posed  of  the  time  between  breakfast  and 
tea;  and  by  dint  of  going  to  bed  two  hours 
earlier  than  usual  he  managed  to  get  rid  of 
the  evening.  But  the  inexorable  moment 
arrived  at  length  when  he  must  open  his 
eyes  again,  and  face  another  day  without 
Robin.  An  anxious  man  is  apt  to  be  a  most 
miserable  animal,  and  our  friend  proved 
himself  no  exception  to  the  genei-al  rule. 
To  increase  his  discomfort  the  parson,  after 
a  visit  to  his  niece's  room  and  many  apolo 
gies  to  his  guest  for  leaving  him  so  entirely 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  165 

to  himself,  departed  on  business  which  would 
detain  him  for  the  greater  part  of  the  day, 
and  which  could  not  be  postponed.  Conrad 
watched  him  drive  away,  and  then  retreated 
to  the  library  where  he  read  a  little,  wrote 
a  little,  walked  up  and  down  a  little,  and 
yawned  a  good  deal ;  until  shrewd  Mrs. 
Bloom,  divining  the  state  of  things,  ad 
vanced  boldly  to  the  rescue. 

"Mr.  Forkner,"  she  said,  pausing  at  the 
door  on  her  way  upstairs  with  a  glass  of 
water  for  her  patient,  "  the  parson  he  won't 
be  back  afore  night  an'  Miss  Robin  needs 
all  my  time  an'  trottin'.  Now  here 's  Cy 
stayed  here  last  night  an'  hain't  an  earth 
ly  thing  ter  do.  Why  don't  you  an'  him 
go  off  sumw'ers  a-fishin',  or  a-froggin',  or 
a-picter-makin'  an'  leave  the  house  clear  an' 
quiet  ?  I  '11  put  ye  up  the  best  cold  dinner 
in  Ockley ;  but  I  declare  for  't  I  don't  see 
how  I  'm  ever  ter  git  a  hot  one,  this  day." 

"  But,"  said  Conrad,  looking  relieved  in 
spite  of  himself  at  this  energetic  proposal, 
"  Abijah  has  gone  with  Mr.  Carey.  What 
will  you  do,  with  no  one  in  the  house,  in 
case  you  want  to  send  to  the  village  ?  " 

"  Shan't  want  ter.  I  've  got  as  many  bot 
tles  in  my  clusset  as  Mister  Lunt  has  in  his 


166  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

hull  shop.  Moreover,  ef  I  do,  I  '11  collar 
one  o'  them  Choat  boys.  Ye  'd  a  sight  bet 
ter  go,  it  '11  do  ye  more  good  ter  stay  out 
doors  than  ter  mull  in  this  here  liberry  all 
day.  Besides,  ter  tell  the  trewth,  an'  the 
hull  trewth,  an'  nothin'  but  the  trewth,  I  'd 
ruther  hev  ye  out  o'  my  way  than  in  it !  A 
man 's  dredfully  underfoot  when  there 's 
sickness  in  a  house.  I  don't  mind  sayin'  I 
should  feel  relieved  ef  you  was  out  of  it." 

"  I  see  you  would,"  his  gravity  fairly  giv 
ing  way  before  this  ingenuous  outburst ; 
"  and  I  will  get  out  of  it  as  speedily  as  pos 
sible.  But  tell  me,  Mrs.  Bloom,"  he  de 
manded,  the  shadow  creeping  back  deeper 
than  before ;  "  do  you  think  she  is  going  to 
be  very  ill  ?  " 

"  Can't  tell,  yet,"  returned  the  house 
keeper  importantly,  making  her  features  as 
wooden  and  inscrutable  as  possible ;  "  de 
pends  on  Providence.  I  know  one  thing, 
though,  my  standin'  here  talkin'  won't  cure 
her !  You  just  git  your  traps  together  an' 
I'll  hev  my  part  ready  as  soon  as  you  be." 
And  the  good  woman  departed  hastily  to 
administer  the  glass  of  water  and  prepare  a 
lunch-basket. 

When   she   returned  she  brought,  in  ad- 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  167 

dition  to  the  basket,  a  little  roll  of  manu 
script  secured  by  a  rubber  strap. 

"  Miss  Robin  wants  I  should  give  ye 
these.  You*'ll  know  what  they  are,  she 
says ;  an'  you  're  to  tell  Cy  ter  take  ye  over 
ter  Humpy  Holler,  an'  she 's  very  sorry  ter 
be  so  stewpidly  unhorsepittable,  —  there  ! 
Them  ain't  my  choice  o'  words,"  added  the 
housekeeper,  with  a  sigh  of  relief ;  "  I  give 
ye  the  message  as  't  was  gi'n  ter  me.  Ye  've 
a  right  t'  express  it  differ'nt,  ef  it  don't 
agree  with  ye." 

So  Conrad  and  Cy  departed,  leaving  Mrs. 
Bloom  to  the  quiet  and  undivided  sway  she 
craved. 

"  Cy,"  said  Conrad,  "  we  are  to  proceed, 
forthwith,  to  Humpy  Hollow.  I  suppose 
you  know  where  that  is." 

Cy  grunted  ;  his  usual  mode  of  assent. 
"  'Ts  about  two  mile  south  o'  here  ;  but  it 's 
a  hot  walk  ter  git  to  it." 

"  I  don't  mind,  if  you  don't." 

"  'Ts  nothin'  ter  me.  I  Ve  be'n  there  hot 
ter  days  'n  this."  So  Cy  assumed  the  din 
ner-basket  and  they  set  forth. 

Over  bare,  unshaded  pasture  lots,  along  a 
sandy  strip  of  road,  through  some  bar-places, 
and  across  a  plowed  field,  where  their  shoes 


168  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

got  filled  with  the  hot,  dry  earth  and  the 
sun  beat  down  upon  them  in  all  his  golden 
fury,  they  came  at  last  to  descend,  along 
a  rather  precipitous  path,  into  an  irregular 
green  basin  between  the  hills,  wherein,  as 
if  the  latter  found  it  hard  to  stop  so  sud 
denly,  cropped  up  various  rough  hillocks 
overgrown  with  birches  and  cedars,  and 
draped  along  their  rocky  sides  with  hardy, 
close-clinging  little  ferns. 

"Here's  where  Miss  Robin  alwers  sits," 
remarked  Cy,  piloting  his  companion  to  a 
rocky  nook  high  up  on  one  of  the  "  humps," 
whence  an  extended  outlook  was  to  be  had 
through  a  rift  in  the  bigger  hills.  "  She 
says  she  wants  that  crack  ahead  ter  breathe 
threw." 

"  One  does  get  a  glorious  breath  here, 
that 's  a  fact,"  assented  Conrad,  stretching 
himself  back  luxuriously  among  the  fern- 
cushioned  rocks  that  gathered  him  into  their 
green  embrace.  "  Does  Miss  Robin  come 
here  often  ?  " 

"Pritty  of'n.  She  brings  her  sewin',  an' 
plays  Titers." 

"  Plays  —  Would  you  mind  just  saying 
the  name  of  that  game  again  ?  "  asked  the 
gentleman,  with  a  bewildered  look. 


HIGH- LIGHTS.  169 

"  Titers.  She  says  they  're  mostly  a  bad 
lot,  but  he  's  the  best  of  'em." 

"  Indeed  ?  Did  she  ever  happen  to  men 
tion  which  was  the  worst  ?  " 

"  Yes.  His  name  's  —  well  I  forgit  naow, 
but  he  's  the  feller  that  fiddled.  Come  to 
think  on  't  he  ended  up  with  an  '  oh  ' !  " 

"He  ended  up  easier  than  he  deserved, 
then,  if  he  is  the  '  feller  '  I  think  him," 
laughed  Conrad,  a  sudden  light  breaking 
upon  his  groping  understanding.  "  Was  it 
Nero?" 

"  That 's  him ! "  exclaimed  Cy,  "  near-oh  ! 
Ye  know  most  everythin',  don't  ye  ? "  he 
queried,  gazing  up  into  his  patron's  face 
with  admiring  awe. 

"  Well,  there  are  a  few  minor  points  on 
which  I  have,  as  yet,  to  be  enlightened,  Cy. 
For  instance,  how  Miss  Robin  plays  Titus. 
You  have  not  made  it  absolutely  clear,  so 
to  speak.  What  does  she  do  ?  " 

"  Nothin',  but  sew,  an'  look  at  me." 

"  Neither  of  which  pursuits  are,  to  the 
best  of  my  memory,  accredited  to  the  great 
Ca3sar,"  murmured  Conrad,  lazily. 

"  An'  I  'm  Gladdiater.    D'ye  know  him  ?  " 

"  He  's  legion.  Yes,  I  know  him.  Well, 
I  '11  play  Titus  to-day.  Where  are  the  wild 
beasts  ?  " 


170  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

"  I  '11  show  ye,  if  ye  '11  wait  a  minnit !  " 
Cy's  heavy  face  lighted  up  ;  there  came 
a  glow  into  the  dull  eyes.  He  was  so 
pleased  that  he  possessed  even  one  accom 
plishment  by  means  of  which  he  could  lay 
a  few  amused  moments  at  his  friend's  feet. 
He  crept  softly  down  where  they  had 
climbed  up,  and  Conrad  presently  saw  him 
come  out  upon  the  arena  of  smooth  green 
turf,  fifty  feet  below,  and  lay  himself  flat  on 
his  back  in  the  very  centre  thereof.  He 
made  a  sufficiently  uncouth  figure,  out 
stretched  in  all  his  physical  disproportion 
in  that  favored  nook  where  Nature  herself 
had  spared  no  pains,  seemingly,  to  soften 
and  beautify  her  own  harsh  outlines.  The 
athletes  of  ancient  Rome  would  have 
spurned  aside,  with  rough  disdain,  such  a 
claimant  to  membership  in  their  fraternity. 
But  presently,  lying  there  motionless  and 
happy,  Cy  began  a  low,  monotonous  call. 
Hark  !  what  rustled  the  dry  leaves  yon 
der  in  the  thicket  ?  A  brown  wood  -  rab 
bit  poked  its  nose  cautiously  from  among 
the  lower  rocks,  and  gradually  emerged,  a 
second  following. 

They    sat   up    on    their    little    haunches, 
sniffing   the   air    inquiringly ;    but    Conrad 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  171 

had  the  wind  in  his  favor,  and  his  perch 
was  high.  Presently,  seeing  only  Cy,  to 
whose  presence  it  would  seem  they  were 
entirely  wonted,  the  shy  feet  waxed  bolder 
and  brought  their  owners,  with  hesitating 
hops,  to  where  the  fat  boy  lay. 

The  low  call  came  again.  Another  and 
another  rabbit  deserted  its  hidden  covert 
and  drew  near,  till  some  fifteen  or  twenty, 
young  and  old,  were  hopping  and  feeding 
all  about  him.  They  came  closer,  and  ate 
from  his  hand ;  while  a  few  of  the  larger 
ones  even  permitted  him  to  stroke  their 
long,  thin  ears  and  gently  scratch  their 
timid  heads. 

The  sun  mounted  higher  and  higher  into 
the  heavens,  and  still  Cy  played  with  the 
rabbits  while  Conrad  looked  on.  He  had 
managed  to  draw  his  sketch-book  stealthily 
from  his  pocket,  and  the  moments  flew  by 
as  he  endeavored  to  transfer  to  paper  some 
thing  of  the  pretty  tableau  before  him. 

The  soft,  graceful  little  creatures  frisked 
and  feasted  to  their  hearts'  content ;  form 
ing  continually  new  and  prettier  groupings, 
so  that  their  unseen  portrayer  was  kept  con 
stantly  rubbing  out  and  altering,  —  as  his 
unconscious  models  tempted  him. 


172  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

But  other  eyes  had  sighted  the  defenseless 
wild  beasts  as  they  fed  and  frolicked  around 
and  over  this  most  gentle  gladiator.  Cruel, 
greedy  eyes  above  a  ruthless  beak.  There 
came  a  shiver  of  wind  among  the  birches, 
the  shadow  of  stealthy,  hovering  wings  fell 
upon  the  little  grass  plot,  and  a  harsh,  angry 
scream  rang,  echoing,  among  the  hills  as  Cy 
scrambled  to  his  feet,  brandishing  his  big 
straw  hat,  and  every  rabbit  scurried  out  of 
sight  in  an  instant,  while  the  baffled  hawk 
soared  slowly  away  over  the  tops  of  the 
forest  trees. 

"  Is  that  Domitian?  "  queried  Conrad,  as 
Cy  came  up  to  where  he  sat,  indicating  with 
the  butt-end  of  his  pencil  the  defeated  bird 
of  prey  now  but  a  dark  speck  in  the  distant 
heavens. 

"  No,  sir,"  answered  Cy,  innocently,  shad 
ing  his  eyes  with  his  hands  the  better  to 
follow  the  creature's  circling  flight.  "  That 's 
an  old  hawk.  He  's  a  terrible  big  feller,  — 
lives  over  in  them  woods  back  o'  Cap'n  Cre- 
hore's.  I  've  seed  his  nest." 

"  All  right,  Cy,  if  you  're  willing  to  vouch 
for  him.  He  made  a  nuisance  of  himself  so 
far  as  I  am  concerned,  though  !  "  and  Conrad 
glanced  ruefully  down  at  his  unfinished 
sketch. 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  173 

"  Be  ye  makin'  a  picter  o'  me  ?  "  asked 
the  fat  boy,  looking  over  his  friend's  shoulder 
and  recognizing  the  various  points  of  resem 
blance  between  the  half -made  sketch  and 
the  recently  enacted  scene. 

"  I  was.  It's  not  finished, — never  will 
be  now,  I  suppose,  thanks  to  Domitian." 

"  I  'in  awful  humly,  ain't  I  ?  "  pursued 
Cy,  dejectedly,  never  questioning  the  like 
ness  to  himself  in  the  outlines  so  hastily 
thrown  upon  the  page  before  him.  "  Why 
do  ye  s'pose  I  be  ?  " 

"  You  're  not  finished  yet  either,  Cy,"  re 
plied  his  friend,  in  a  suspiciously  cheery 
voice,  turning  toward  the  spot  where  the 
lunch  basket  reposed ;  "  but  you  will  be, 
one  of  these  days,  by  a  master  hand  !  That's 
the  difference  between  you  and  the  picture. 
Now,  then,  here  are  sandwiches,  and  ginger 
bread,  and  pie,  and  a  little  of  everything ! 
What  will  you  try  first  ?  " 

They  made  a  capital  dinner,  —  "  the  best 
in  Ockley"  Conrad  felt,  no  doubt,  washed 
down  as  it  was  by  cold,  sparkling  water 
from  one  of  the  never-failing  rock  springs. 
But  for  the  tenacious  little  thread  of  anxiety 
that  bound  his  thoughts  to  a  certain  closed 
chamber  door  two  miles  away,  the  whole 


174  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

day's  programme  would  have  proved  thor 
oughly  enjoyable  to  him.  As  it  was  he 
felt  a  secret  drawing  toward  nearer  neigh 
borhood,  although,  with  Mrs.  Bloom's  char 
acteristic  dismissal  lingering  in  his  ears,  he 
dared  not  present  himself  before  the  eyes  of 
that  energetic  matron  prior  to  five  o'clock, 
at  the  earliest.  So  he  cooked  up  an  alter 
native. 

"  Cy,  that  last  piece  of  cheese  was  the 
touch  too  much.  I  believe  I  have  over- 
finished  my  dinner.  What  do  you  say  to  a 
little  locomotion  as  an  aid  to  digestion  ? 
Shall  we  start  along  homewards  ?  " 

Cy  understood  the  last  five  words  and 
wisely  ignored  the  preceding  ones. 

"  It 's  turrible  hot,  an'  I  'm  turrible  full, 
—  but  then  the  basket 's  empty." 

"  You  're  a  philosopher,  Cy,"  laughed 
Conrad.  "  Come  along  !  We  will  keep  in 
the  edge  of  the  woods,  where  it  is  shady, 
and  when  we  get  to  the  cascade  wre  will  lie 
around  till  tea-time,  and  I  '11  read  you  some 
verses." 

"  Verses  "  was  Greek  to  Cy,  but  "  lying 
around  "  sounded  intelligible  and  refreshing. 
He  caught  up  the  empty  basket  and  followed 
his  leader's  brisk  example  with  wonderful 
alacrity,  considering  the  "  turrible  fullness." 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  175 

It  was  nearly  three  o'clock  when  they 
came  out  upon  the  bank  of  the  brook  by  the 
big1  basin.  Cy  threw  down  first  the  basket, 
and  then  himself  with  a  deep  grunt  of  satis 
fied  attainment.  It  was  delightfully  cool 
and  shady  here,  and  the  clean,  pure  sound 
of  the  running  water  seemed  to  wash  away 
from  one's  mind  all  memory  of  dust  and 
fatigue.  Conrad  cast  aside  his  hat,  and 
leaned  contentedly  back  against  the  gen 
erous  trunk  of  a  big  beech,  his  eyes  follow 
ing  the  steady  rush  of  the  brook,  his 
thoughts  drifting  back,  along  the  stream  of 
time,  to  that  morning  when  he  had  first  dis 
covered  this  lovely  spot  and  so  much  else 
beside.  A  glad  little  current  of  undefined 
feeling  had  been  flowing  and  growing  in 
his  life,  too,  of  late.  Following  it  up  to  its 
source,  as  he  had  the  brook,  he  found  that 
its  first  leap  out  into  the  sunshine  had  been 
on  that  very  June  morning  when  the  wise 
men  of  Gotham  had,  by  the  overturning  of 
their  own  bowl,  been  the  unconscious  means 
of  filling  his  cup  of  pleasure  to  the  brim. 
The  little  current  had  deepened  and  broad 
ened  with  a  vengeance  of  late.  The  shadows 
were  fast  being  left  behind,  and  the  eager 
torrent  was  rushing  onward  to  its  final  leap 


176  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

into  the  glad  sunshine  of  joy,  with  a  song 
of  thanksgiving  ?  or  —  Conrad  would  not 
think  of  that  alternative.  It  looked  too 
dark  and  terrible  an  abysm.  He  turned 
back  hastily  to  the  present  moment,  and 
slipped  the  strap  from  Robin's  roll  of  papers. 
"Look  here,  Cy!  you  had  first  choice  of 
pie  —  I  '11  take  my  turn  now  at  the  pie-try. 
Hark  ye,  friend  !  " 

CAPRICE. 

A  sound  of  dancing  footfalls  strikes  my  ear  ; 

'Mid  sombre  stems  of  steadfast  woods  I  catch 

The  glimmer  of  a  robe  all  changeable 

With  palest  green  that  ever  fades  to  gray, 

And  gray  that  brightens  into  palest  green. 

Around  its  hem  a  border,  richly  wrought, 

In  fresh,  young  leaves  and  blades  of  springing  grass, 

With  here  and  there  a  fair  bud  peeping  out 

Of  violet,  or  frail  anemone, 

Or  furry-hooded,  shy  hepatica. 

Above  the  robe,  a  wondrous,  varying  face, 

WThose  sweet  lips  smile  even  while  the  radiant  eyes 

Shine  tender  through  a  mist  of  unshed  tears.     . 

Over  the  shoulders,  in  their  supple  grace, 

Warm-waving  hair  half  hides  its  deepening  gold 

Beneath  a  veil's  dull-tinted,  envious  fold, 

Whence  the  sly  air,  from  stealing  through  it,  gets 

A  fragrance  like  the  breath  of  violets. 

"  I  know  you,  April,  with  your  rainbow  mien  ! 
You  fooled  me  last  year,  can  I  trust  you  this  ?  " 
She  puts  her  cool,  responsive  hand  in  mine 
And  breathes  bright  promises  for  days  to  come. 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  177 

The  sunshine  falls  with  kindlier,  warmer  glow, 
Bringing  a  hint  of  summer  time  ;  I  think  — 
Fond  fool !  —  "  she  will  not  play  ine  false  again." 
Then  —  all  at  once  —  the  quick  eyes  fill  with  tears  ; 
A  moist  wind  strikes  me  with  a  sudden  chill  ; 
The  clear  green  of  her  garment  fades  to  gray  ; 
Along  the  sward  the  sunlight  shimmers  pale  ; 
She  softly  sighs,  and  turns  her  head  away, 
And  round  her  draws  the  dull  mist  of  her  veil. 

It  was  a  thousand  pities  Robin  could  not 
have  heard  her  friend  read  that  poem,  for 
his  reading  was  something  to  hear.  Cy 
watched  his  face  with  half-shut,  sleepy  eyes. 
The  words  were  meaningless,  or  nearly  so, 
to  him,  but  the  mellow,  musical  tones  soothed 
the  fat  boy's  very  soul,  and  he  manifested 
his  appreciation  by  yielding  utterly  to  their 
power.  In  other  words,  he  fell  asleep. 

Conrad  glanced  at  him  when  the  last  line 
was  read,  and  smiled  to  see  the  novel  effect 
which  his  elocutionary  powers  had  produced. 
Then  he  went  on,  reading  to  himself.  There 
were  four  poems  in  all,  copied  from  the 
originals,  all  but  the  old  time  spelling,  in 
Robin's  clear,  legible  handwriting.  The 
last  one  held,  as  Conrad  knew,  the  begin 
ning  of  a  lifetime's  bitterness  in  its  two 
short  stanzas. 

He  had  felt  from  the  first  a  strange  at 
traction,  a  sort  of  spiritual  kinship  to  this 

12 


178  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

dead  and  gone  farmer-poet ;  and  now,  from 
the  warmth  and  gladness  of  his  own  sunny 
present,  his  heart  went  out  in  keen  sympa 
thy  to  the  man  whose  sad  history  had  come 
to  its  end  so  far  back  in  the  shadowy  past. 

ESTRANGED. 

The  sunset  clouds  look  strangely  gray  to-night  ; 

The  evening  air  blows  keen  ; 
And  when  I  turn  to  see  your  window-light 
That  should  have  made  my  homeward  patli  so  bright, 

Dark  shadows  fall  between. 

A  stealthy  wind  comes  creeping  from  the  meres, 

And  all  the  branches  moan. 
No  hand  in  mine,  as  in  the  bygone  years  ; 
With  weary  heart-ache,  and  with  bitter  tears 

I  tread  my  way  alone. 

Conrad  read  the  few  lines  over  and  over. 
They  haunted  him  somehow.  Actually,  he 
was  almost  beginning  to  feel  as  if  he  were 
the  man  who  had  written  them.  This  would 
never  do  !  He  sat  up  again,  with  a  quick 
jerk,  and  strapped  the  sheets  together.  The 
sun  was  fast  sinking  below  the  tree-tops. 
He  woke  Cy,  who  rolled  over  and  up  with  a 
prolonged  snore,  and  set  his  face  and  his 
feet  gladly  in  the  homeward  way.  As  he 
reached  the  house  from  one  side  the  par 
son  and  Abijah  drove  up  from  the  other  ; 
they  met  at  the  door. 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  179 

"  Better,"  was  Mrs.  Bloom's  laconic  reply 
to  the  double  fire  of  inquiry  opened  upon 
her  a  moment  later.  "  Consider'ble  better. 
Havin'  the  house  to  herself 's  done  her  good, 
I  guess,"  she  added,  with  an  eye  -  twinkle. 
"  Ef  she  sleeps  good  ter-night,  mebbe  she  '11 
be  up  an'  about  ter-morrer." 

There  was  joy  depicted  upon  the  two  mas 
culine  faces  before  her  as  the  housekeeper 
told  her  tale ;  and  the  expression  of  one  of 
them  was  so  unmistakable  that  the  worthy 
woman  could  not  refrain  from  remarking  to 
its  owner,  meeting  him,  later,  on  his  way 
upstairs :  — 

"  Why  Miss  Robin  did  n't  up  an'  hev  a 
fever  the  Lord  knows  better  'n  I  do !  "  And 
as  she  walked  off,  leaving  that  flea  in  his 
ear,  she  said  to  herself  :  — 

"  A  little  scare  does  'em  a  sight  o'  good. 
I  never  could  see  a  man  a-totterin'  on  the 
verge  a'thout  wantin'  ter  give  him  a  helpin' 
poke  !  " 


CHAPTER   X. 

"  Oh,  but  Robin,  I  'm  fain  to  come, 

If  your  present  days  are  so  pleasant ; 
For  my  days  are  so  wearisome." 

CHRISTINA  ROSSETTI. 

WHEN  Robin  came  down  to  a  late  break 
fast  next  morning  no  one  was  visible  ;  but 
beside  her  plate  stood  a  little  birch-bark 
basket  full  of  wild  raspberries,  with  a  knot 
of  delicate  wild  flowers  and  ferns  laid  lightly 
on  top.  For  a  moment,  as  she  bent  over  to 
inhale  the  rich  fragrance,  her  cheeks  re 
flected  the  ripe  hue  of  the  fruit ;  but  Mrs. 
Bloom,  bustling  in  with  the  breakfast  tray, 
soon  dispelled  all  romance. 

"  There,  now  you  've  seen  them  things  I  '11 
put  'em  inter  the  refidgerater  an'  you  can 
hev  'em  ter-morrer,  ef  ye  must.  The  idee 
o'  fetchin'  sour  fruit  to  any  one  that 's  jest 
dodged  a  fever  !  That 's  all  a  man  knows." 

"  I  suppose,"  said  Robin,  demurely,  fasten 
ing  the  flower-cluster  in  its  place  among  her 
muslin  ruffles  as  she  spoke,  —  "I  suppose 
Uncle  Ike  thought  I  should  like  them." 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  181 

"  Uncle  Ike  !  "  exclaimed  the  housekeeper. 
"  You  don't  s'pose  the  parson  's  be'n  pokin' 
raound  amongst  the  wet  grass  for  that  truck  ? 
No,  no,  Miss  Robin  !  't  was  t'  other  one.  An' 
he 's  gone  off  ter  the  village  naow,  afoot. 
Guess  he  thought  't  would  be  the  best  way 
ter  dry  his  boots."  She  was  making  off 
with  the  bark  basket  when  her  mistress  laid 
a  detaining  hand  on  her  calico  sleeve. 

"  Softly,  Mrs.  B. !  you  jump  to  conclu 
sions.  Instead  of  carrying  off  my  berries 
just  bring  me  a  glass  plate,  please,  and  a 
pitcher  of  cream.  Did  you  really  suppose  I 
should  consent  to  having  those  lovely  things 
frozen  to  death  in  your  refrigerator  ?  " 

"  Well,  no,  I  can't  say  I  did  !  "  retorted 
Mrs.  Bloom,  slowly  relinquishing  her  prey, 
and  producing  the  articles  called  for  with  a 
promptitude  suspiciously  suggestive  of  their 
having  been  ready  beforehand.  "  I  've  be'n 
through  the  mill  three  times  too  of'n  ter  be 
sech  a  fool  as  ter  s'pose  any  sech  a  thing. 
It 's  my  belief  gals  would  thrive  on  p'ison, 
under  some  circumstarnces  !  "  And  having 
secured  that  last  word,  in  which  her  soul  de 
lighted,  the  jolly  old  lady  departed,  chuck 
ling  to  herself. 

Robin    poured   cream  into  and  over  her 


182  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

pretty  crimson  thimbles  and  ate  them  leis 
urely  and  smilingly.  If  they  were  sour  she 
did  not  discover  it,  apparently.  Then  she 
took,  from  the  chair  into  which  she  had 
dropped  them,  a  book  and  a  soft,  woolly 
shawl  and  went  out  to  ensconce  herself  be 
neath  the  shade  of  the  biggest  elm,  where 
Conrad,  some  half  hour  later,  found  her. 

"Are  you  a  lover  of  novels,  Miss  llobin?  " 
he  asked,  when  he  had  both  looked  and 
spoken,  most  emphatically,  his  pleasure  at 
seeing  her  again,  and  she  had  thanked  him 
for  the  raspberries,  and  the  flowers,  which 
his  eyes  had  been  quick  to  note  in  their  new 
resting-place. 

"  When  I  can  get  time,  and  a  good  story, 
which,  I  grieve  to  say,  this  is  not." 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  it  ?  I  am  in 
terested  in  such  criticisms  just  now.  Not 
well  written  ?  " 

"  Oh,  very,  according  to  the  modern,  ac 
cepted  standard." 

"  Then  what  do  you  object  to  in  it  ?  " 

"  I  object  to  the  standard.  You  perceive 
that  my  criticism  betrays  a  very  uncultured 
mind.  I  do  not  enjoy  clinical  literature. 
This  having  every  inmost  fault  and  foible 
laid  bare,  every  trait  and  tendency  held  up, 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  183 

so  to  speak,  on  the  point  of  a  scalpel,  savors 
a  trifle  too  strongly  of  the  dissecting-room. 
In  fact,  with  many  modern  novelists,  as  with 
modern  surgeons,  the  more  repellent  and  ab 
normal  the  conditions  exposed,  the  greater 
glory  to  the  operator.  Heroes  and  heroines 
used  to  be  interesting  people ;  nowadays 
they  are,  mostly,  '  beautiful  cases.'  I  feel 
as  if  I  had  been  eating  '  agates  and  can- 
tharyds,'  and  had  brought  on  a  fit  of  indi 
gestion  !  "  And  she  tossed  the  offending 
volume  down  upon  the  grass.  Then  she 
looked  up  and  laughed.  "  I  am  wasting  a 
good  deal  of  moral  energy  on  the  old  thing  ! 
but,  seriously,  Mr.  Faulkner,  do  put  people 
into  your  book  as  you  find  them,  and  leave 
them  to  speak  for  themselves.  One  likes  to 
make  friends  on  paper  as  one  does  in  reality. 
Imagine  what  a  pleasant  summer  we  should 
have  been  having  if  there  had  been  one  of 
these  character  chemists  on  hand  to  analyze 
every  word  and  action,  and  report !  "  Her 
merry  laugh  rang  out  again. 

"  I  am  no  character  chemist,"  warmly  re 
turned  Conrad,  in  whose  thoughts  the  par 
ticular  romance  of  which  himself  was  the 
hero  was  just  now  occupying  first  place  ; 
"  but  I  have  made  some  discoveries,  never 
theless." 


184  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

"  And  what  might  they  be,  pray  ?  "  ques 
tioned  the  girl,  innocently,  though  her  color 
rose. 

"  A  wealth  of  pure  gold,  for  one  thing  !  " 
the  young  man's  tones  were  growing  earnest. 
The  eager,  rushing  torrent  threatened  to 
break  bounds. 

"  That  must  be  the  butter."  She  spoke 
lightly,  but  her  eyes  were  down,  and  her 
own  voice  a  trifle  unsteady. 

"  No,  it  is  not ;  although  I  must  confess 
the  butter  has  helped  me  greatly  in  my  re 
searches.  I  only  wish  " 

"  Here  comes  Uncle  Ike  !  "  interrupted 
Robin,  rising  quickly  to  her  feet  as  the  par 
son  was  seen  approaching. 

Conrad  stooped  and  picked  up  the  dis 
carded  novel. 

"  Miss  Robin,"  he  said,  speaking  quickly 
and  low  ;  "  you  must  not  walk  to-day,  but 
won't  you  drive  with  me  this  afternoon?" 

"  Perhaps  so,  if  nothing  turns  up  '  ter 
pervent,' "  returned  Robin  as  hurriedly ; 
making  use  of  the  oft-quoted  Mrs.  Bloom  to 
cover  her  embarrassment.  Then  she  turned 
to  greet  her  uncle,  who  held  a  yellow  en 
velope  in  his  hand. 

"  A  telegram  from  Terry,  my  dear.     He 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  185 

will  be  at  the  Falls  this  afternoon  by  the 
4.30  train.  We  must  all  drive  over  to  meet 
him,  if  you  are  able." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  am  able,"  answered  '  Robin, 
slowly ;  but  she  sent  one  quick  glance  in 
Conrad's  direction  as  if  to  say :  "  Something 
has  turned  up,  you  see  !  " 

For  him,  he  felt  as  if  something  —  crea 
tion  or  his  plans,  either  would  produce  much 
the  same  sensation  —  had  turned  over.  He 
went  to  his  room  and  flung  his  unopened  mail 
down  upon  the  table.  It  remained  unopened 
for  the  rest  of  the  day. 

Terry  came.  His  white  straw  hat,  with 
its  broad,  blue  band,  was  seen  waving  from 
the  car-steps  as  the  train  swept  round  the 
curve  ;  and  the  quick  spring  which  he  made 
to  the  platform,  the  long  strides  which 
brought  him  instantly  to  the  side  of  the  open 
wagon  where  his  friends  sat  waiting  for  him, 
to  say  nothing  of  his  beaming  face,  were  evi 
dence  enough  of  his  gladness  at  being  there. 
The  parson  was  sincerely  glad  to  see  him 
too.  If  there  were  any  of  the  party  whose 
pleasure  at  the  meeting  was  qualified,  at  least 
they  succeeded  in  concealing  the  fact.  Terry 
had  no  cause  to  complain  of  his  welcome, 
as  he  took  the  seat  left  for  him  beside  his 
uncle. 


180  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

"  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  good  people,  you 
don't  half  appreciate  your  blessings  !  "  he 
exclaimed,  baring  his  curly  head  to  the  moun 
tain  breeze  as  the  wagon  rolled  smoothly 
along  the  shaded  road.  "Just  spend  one 
July  day  where  I  have  spent  thirty-one,  and 
you  will  begin  to  have  some  idea  of  the  value 
of  this  sort  of  thing.  Gracious  !  it 's  some 
thing  like  heaven  :  one  five  minutes  of  it 
pays  for  so  much."  And  sitting  sidewise, 
the  better  to  take  in  all  his  blessings  at  once, 
he  beamed  across  at  Robin  with  such  infec 
tious  happiness  that  she  beamed  back  again 
from  sheer  sympathy. 

"  How  glad  she  is  to  see  him  !  "  thought 
the  young  man  who  had  not  just  arrived. 
It  is  strange  how  ready  we  all  are  to  judge 
even  our  nearest  and  dearest  from  the  out 
side.  At  the  very  moment  too  that  we  are 
ourselves  putting  forth  strenuous  exertions 
to  prevent  our  own  outside  from  revealing 
that  which  seethes  within.  It  occasioned  a 
most  unreasonable  feeling  of  discomfort  to 
Conrad  that  Robin  should  apparently  find  it 
so  easy  and  pleasant  to  have  their  own  short 
lived  plan  given  up,  and  should  have  it  in 
her  heart  to  laugh  and  chat  gayly  with  her 
cousin  as  they  drove  slowly  home  through 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  187 

the  genial  summer  afternoon.  Meanwhile, 
keeping  all  these  emotions  carefully  to  him 
self,  he  laughed,  and  chatted  with  them. 

Mrs.  Bloom  was  at  the  door  when  they 
drove  up,  to  accord  a  hearty  welcome  to 
the  new-comer.  Terry  was  a  great  favorite 
with  her  notwithstanding  the  "  exclimation 
marks."  Time  would  soften  these  down 
into  decorous  periods  soon  enough.  "  More 
over,  Miss  Robin,  ef  a  boy  ain't  a  real  boy, 
he  '11  never  be  a  real  man  !  "  So,  as  in  her 
estimation  the  young  man  was  not  consid 
ered  to  have  outgrown  his  boyhood  yet,  by 
any  means,  she  had  manifested  her  satisfac 
tion  with  his  arrival  in  the  old,  boyhood 
way.  The  table  was  fairly  loaded  down  with 
all  the  good  things  for  which  he  had  for 
merly  been  known  to  express  a  preference. 

"  By  Jove,  Tabby !  "  he  exclaimed,  nick 
ing  her  scriptural  cognomen  as  no  other  hu 
man  being  ever  dared  to  do,  "  you  Ve  killed 
the  fatted  calf  to-night  and  no  mistake. 
How  is  one  poor  mortal  to  eat  waffles  and 
short-cake  and  cream-toast  all  at  once  ?  to 
say  nothing  of  the  fancy  articles.  I  '11  bet 
Mother  Hubbard's  cupboard  is  bare  this 
time !  " 

"  No  't  ain't,"  contradicted  the  dame,  with 


188  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

broad  delight  depicted  on  her  countenance  ; 
"  I  look  out  ter  hev'  it  extry  full  when  you 
come,  Master  Terry,  alwers.  Eat  away ! 
'ts  all  good." 

"  Its  goodness  is  the  worst  of  it,"  groaned 
Terry.  "  I  always  heard  that  starving  peo 
ple  were  fed  a  little  at  a  time,  but  it  seems 
they  are  n't.  Just  look  at  that  tumbler  of 
cream !  Here  's  your  good  health,  Tabby." 

"  Thank  Miss  Kobin  fer  that,  Master 
Terry.  She  's  a  wonderful  hand  at  a  dairy. 
The  butter  an'  cream  she  gits  out  o'  them 
cows  o'  hern  is  somethin'  onbelievable,  an', 
too,  Debby  Hawkins  says  she  'd  ruther  hev 
our  skim-milk  than  any  other  folks's  that 
hedn't  be'n  skum." 

"  She  can  have  it,"  laughed  Terry,  alwaj^s 
delighted  when  he  could  succeed  in  betraying 
his  voluble  friend  into  one  of  her  more  strik 
ing  grammatical  lapses.  "  Cream  is  good 
enough  for  me.  I  '11  take  another  glass 
for  breakfast  —  if  1  live  through  the  night. 
Uncle  Ike,  how  can  you  insult  such  richness 
by  putting  tea  into  it?  it 's  a  sin." 

"  Oh,  Conrad  and  I  are  old  fogies,  and 
like  our  '  cup  o'  kindness,'  "  replied  the  par 
son.  "  Besides,"  he  added,  his  shrewd 
eyes  twinkling,  "  we  like  to  see  Robin  make 
it,  you  know." 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  189 

Conrad  smiled,  quietly,  and  handed  his 
cup  to  be  refilled.  Terry  sobered  down  for 
a  minute  and  his  heart,  or  his  supper,  be 
gan  to  weigh  a  trifle  heavy. 

"  Have  you  brought  your  violin,  Terry  ?  " 
asked  Robin,  glad  to  turn  attention  from 
herself  and  her  tea-tray ;  "  there  are  one  or 
two  things  that  I  want  to  try  over  with 
you." 

"There  are  a  dozen  that  I  want  to  try 
with  you,"  said  Terry,  brightening  instantly. 
"  Abijah  has  just  brought  the  traps,  suppose 
we  have  a  little  practice  before  dark." 

"  Suppose  we  do,"  assented  the  parson ; 
"go  and  get  your  tuning  up  done,  Terry, 
if  you  are  through  supper,  and  we  '11  come 
directly.  It  is  a  treat,  Conrad,  I  assure 
you,  to  hear  those  two  play  together."  And 
the  parson  applied  himself  to  finishing  his 
tea  and  toast  preparatory  to  a  good  time. 

"  A  treat,"  Conrad  could  not  but  ac 
knowledge  it  to  be,  even  though  served  in 
a  way  that  was  not  altogether  such  as  he 
would  have  chosen.  Often  and  well  as  he 
had  heard  them  each  play  separately,  he  was 
hardly  prepared  for  the  perfect  command 
and  feeling  that  blended  vibrant  piano  and 
quivering  violin  into  what  seemed  the  tone 
of  one  transcendent  instrument. 


190  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

"  Before  dark,"  Terry  had  said ;  but  it 
grew  to  be  long  after  dark  and  still  the  tire 
less  musicians  played  on,  and  the  charmed 
audience,  swelled  to  four  by  the  stealing  in 
of  Mrs.  Bloom  and  Abijah,  listened. 

There  are  at  least  two  distinctly  different 
musical  temperaments.  One  that  under  the 
influence  of  sweet  or  harmonious  sounds 
grows  quieted,  soothed,  and  happy  ;  another 
that  under  the  self-same  conditions  becomes 
excited,  intoxicated,  electrically  charged. 
When  they  ceased  playing,  Robin  was 
sweetly  subdued,  Terry  as  nervous  as  a 
witch.  He  laid  his  violin  tenderly  away 
into  its  little  black  coffin,  and  began  to  pace 
the  shadowy  room  with  hasty  strides. 

"  Terry  is  letting  off  steam  now,"  ob 
served  Conrad,  as  Robin  came  up  to  where 
he  was  sitting  in  the  deep  bay-window. 
"•  He  tears  up  and  down  our  little  room  in 
the  city  sometimes  until  I  am  ready  to  crawl 
under  the  table  for  safety." 

"  Music  takes  hold  of  him  tremendously," 
replied  his  cousin,  apologetically.  "  I  am 
afraid  we  have  played  too  long  to-night ; 
but  it  is  always  such  a  temptation  to  play 
with  Terry." 

"There  is  some  temptation  about  it  for 
him,  I  take  it." 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  191 

"  Yes,  we  both  enjoy  ourselves  ;  we  have 
been  accustomed  to  play  together  ever  since 
we  were  children.  But  indeed,"  she  added, 
smiling,  "we  do  not  always  forget  other 
people  so  rudely  as  we  did  this  evening.  I 
hope  we  have  not  tired  anybody." 

"  Your  music  could  never  tire  me,"  an 
swered  Conrad,  truthfully ;  but  he  did  not 
follow  Mrs.  Bloom's  praiseworthy  example 
of  telling  "  the  hull  truth  ;  "  he  did  not  say 
how  bitter  he  found  the  notion  that  she 
could  "  forget  other  people,"  when  he  hap 
pened  to  be  one  of  them. 

Neither  did  Robin  say  that  she  had  long- 
since  ceased  to  count  him  in  with  "  other 
people  "  at  all.  Perhaps  she  thought  he 
should  be  acute  enough  to  discover  the  fact 
for  himself. 


CHAPTER  XL 

"  What  is  youth  ?  a  dancing  billow, 
Winds  behind,  and  rocks  before  !  " 

WORDSWORTH. 

"  MISTER  FORKNER  !  " 

"  WeU,  Cy." 

"  Is  Mister  Jacks'n  a  friend  o'  yourn  ?  " 

"  To  be  sure  he  is  ;  what  then  ?  "  replied 
Conrad,  who,  seated  on  his  stool  in  front  of 
Janet's  cottage,  was  working  away  busily  at 
the  sketch  he  had  promised  to  Robin.  It 
was  fast  developing  from  a  sketch  into  a  fin 
ished  picture. 

"  Nothin',  only  I  was  goin'  ter  say  I  wisht 
he  had  n't  ha'  come,  an'  I  thought  ef  he  was 
a  friend  o'  yourn,  I  would  n't." 

Conrad  laughed  ;  so  did  Janet,  who  was 
sitting  at  her  wheel  and  sitting  for  her  pic 
ture  at  the  same  time. 

"  Ye  've  a  proper  jeedgement,  bairn !  I 
suspicion  't  would  be  an  ill  chance  for  ony 
one  to  misliken  one  o'  Maister  Faulkner's 
friends." 

"  Honest    criticism  is  always  allowable," 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  193 

said  Conrad.  "  What  have  you  against  this 
particular  friend  of  mine,  Cy  ?  " 

"  Nothin'  ag'in  him  as  I  knows  on ;  I 
don't  like  his  pistil." 

"Ay,  ay,  I  thought  as  muckle,"  nodded 
his  grandmother.  "  Terry  Jackson  was  al 
ways  rayther  a  lightsome,  careless  -  spoken 
callant ;  but  Cyrus  never  made  objection  to 
him  till  three  years  syne,  afore  he  went  to 
Germany,  ye  ken,  whan  he  came  up  for  the 
summer  bringing  wi'  him  his  first  whisker 
an'  his  first  fire-arm.  From  that  day  to  this 
the  lad  's  been  fair  crazy  wi'  appreheension 
whanever  him  an'  his  pistol  hae  been 
around." 

"  Terry  is  a  good  shot,  Cy,  you  need  not 
be  afraid,  he  won't  hit  you." 

."  It 's  no  for  himsel'  he 's  feared,"  an 
swered  Janet  for  him :  "  it 's  just  the  poor 
bit  beasties  he  's  so  fond  of.  All  through  the 
woods  an'  fields  he 's  his  pets  an'  playthings, 
an'  whan  the  pistol 's  by  he  fair  trembles  for 
their  lives." 

"  That  is  hard.  I  must  confess  I  sympa 
thize  with  him  too,  though  I  doubt  if  my  in 
fluence  goes  far  enough  to  suppress  the  re 
volver  entirely.  One  thing  I  can  promise, 
Cy,"  he  said,  looking  kindly  upon  the  anx- 

13 


194  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

ious  fat  boy,  "  when  I  am  with  hiin  your 
friends  shall  not  be  hurt,  if  I  can  help  it." 

"  Be  ye  goin'  over  ter  Porter's  Pond  ter- 
morrer?  " 

"  Yes,  and  you  are  going  too.  Be  sure 
you  are  on  hand  bright  and  early,  Cy.  And 
by  the  way,"  here  Conrad  bent  toward  him 
and  spoke  a  few  words  in  a  low  voice.  Cy 
nodded,  and  rising  heavily  to  his  feet  disap 
peared  down  the  steps.  His  grandmother 
followed  the  slouching  figure  with  misty 
eyes. 

"  Maister  Faulkner,"  she  said,  earnestly, 
forgetting  for  a  moment  to  turn  her  wheel, 
"  none  save  the  Lord  an'  the  boy  hinisel' 
will  ever  fathom  what  ye  've  been  to  him 
this  twa'  month  past.  Miss  Robin  's  —  weel 
she  's  just  Miss  Robin,  an'  ye  ken  a'  that 
means  as  weel,  pretty  nigh,  as  I  do  mysel'  ; 
but  that  a  gentleman  an'  a  stranger  should 
find  aught  to  companion  wi'  in  such  as  him 
has  been  just  a  won'erful  upleeftin'  to  the 
lad.  I  declare,  sometimes  it  fair  'mazes  me 
to  see  how  changed  he  is.  He 's  no  half  so 
stupid-like  as  he  used  to  be.  D  'ye  know, 
Maister  Faulkner,"  she  added,  hurriedly, 
smoothing  her  thread  idly  in  her  hands  and 
speaking  low,  —  "  d  'ye  know  it  sometimes 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  195 

comes  o  'er  me  that  he  is  na'  long  for  this  ? 
It  seems  as  though  the  Lord  was  just  sendin' 
him  this  bright  summer  to  soften  down  the 
contrast  like  atween  this  an'  yon."  And  she 
motioned  with  uplifted  hand  to  the  fair  blue 
arch  above  them. 

"  Arguing  on  those  grounds,  Janet,  there 
would  be  one  more,  at  least,  to  go.  This  has 
been  a  bright,  bright  summer  to  me  too." 

"  An'  may  there  be  mony  anither  to  fol 
low,  say  I !  but  there 's  a  mighty  differ 
atween  yoursel'  an'  Cy.  He  was  born 
among  the  shadows,  poor  bairn;  his  sun 
shine  '11  no  be  o'  this  warl." 

"  We  seldom  know  all  of  each  other's 
shadows,"  said  Conrad,  quietly,  deepening 
some  of  those  in  his  picture  as  he  spoke ; 
"  there  is  only  one  state  of  things  in  which 
we  are  promised  the  noonday  brightness 
that  knows  no  shadowing ;  but  the  promise 
stands.  Here  every  little  line  of  light  casts 
also  its  line  of  shade,  but  there  will  be  no 
dark  places  there,  Janet." 

Janet  looked  at  him  ;  a  look  keen,  pitiful, 
and  satisfied  all  at  once. 

"  It 's  true,"  she  said,  gravely,  while  the 
soft  burr-r  of  the  wheel  began  afresh,  "  but 
ye  're  gey  young  to  ha'  fund  it  oot." 


196  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

If  Cy  could  have  peeped  into  Mr.  Jack 
son's  room  next  morning  and  seen  the  prep 
arations  which  that  gentleman  was  making 
for  the  day's  excursion,  he  would  hardly 
have  given  the  happy  consent  which  he  did 
to  act  as  guide  on  the  occasion.  He  could 
not  peep,  however,  and  Terry,  being  quite 
ignorant  and  innocent  on  his  part  of  any 
thing  unpleasant  to  others  in  his  proceed 
ings,  completed  his  arrangements  satisfac 
torily  to  himself,  and  then  walked  out  into 
the  summer  morning,  humming  as  he  went 
that  particular  duet  which  he  and  Robin 
had  last  tackled.  The  sun  was  just  up,  the 
air  cool  and  perfume-y  ;  it  was  an  hour  of 
sweet  influences. 

Good  Mrs.  Bloom,  stirring  briskly  about 
in  her  big  kitchen,  felt  the  influences,  though 
she  had  no  time  to  stop  for  them  ;  and  there 
was  something  of  the  freshness  of  the  morn 
ing  in  her  shrewd,  kindly  face  as  she  turned, 
presently,  to  respond  to  the  familiar  greet 
ing  spoken  over  her  shoulder  from  the  open 
door  behind. 

Terry  sat  on  the  broad  stone  step  whip 
ping  off  yarrow  heads  with  a  slender  switch. 
He  was  apt  to  have  a  stick  of  some  sort  in 
his  hand ;  it  was  a  long  established  habit, 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  197 

dating  back  to  the  days  when  he  had  wan 
dered  over  the  farm  with  Robin,  boy  and 
girl  together. 

"Ah !  Mr.  Terry,  is  that  you ? "  said  the 
housekeeper  in  her  crisp  tones  ;  "  and  what 
brings  you  out  so  early  in  the  morning  ?  "% 

"  Five  o'clock  is  not  so  very  early,  is  it  ?  " 

"  'T  is  for  some  folks.  You  never  used 
ter  be  so  fond  o'  sp'ilin'  yer  paytent  luthers." 

Terry  extended  a  foot  and  eyed  the  thin- 
soled  shoe,  small  enough  almost  for  a  lady, 
with  approval. 

"  Those  are  not  '  paytent  luthers,'  my  dear 
woman ;  they  are  the  very  best  of  French 
calf." 

"  What 's  the  differ'nce  ?  " 

"  As  much  difference  as  there  is  between 
old  Peggy  Scannell's  black  goat  and  one  of 
those  sleek  cows  yonder." 

"  Well,  never  mind,"  returned  the  house 
keeper,  composedly,  "  I  knew  there  was  ca'f 
somew'er's  —  only  I  never  mistrusted  't  was 
the  boots  !  " 

When  Tabby  showed  her  claws  Terry  al 
ways  changed  the  subject. 

"  There  goes  a  gray  squirrel !  a  big  fellow, 
too.  Say,  Tabby,  do  you  ever  make  squirrel 
pie  nowadays  ?  " 


198  UIGU-LIGHTS. 

"  Hain't  sence  you  was  here  afore.  No 
body  else  '11  touch  'em." 

"  I  '11  touch  'em  then.  Make  me  one,  will 
you,  Tabby  ?  " 

"  Ef  you  '11  ketch  the  squirr'ls,  an'  skin 
'em,  and  clean  'em,  an'  cut  'em  up.  I  c'n 
put  'em  in  with  a  fork,  but  I  'd  as  lief  have 
nothin'  ter  do  with  the  butcherin'." 

"  I  '11  ketch  'em,"  mimicked  Terry  again, 
drawing  forth  as  he  spoke  a  very  shiny  and 
elegant  little  revolver.  Mrs.  Bloom  beat  a 
precipitate  retreat. 

"  Ain't  ye  never  without  that  blunderbuss, 
night  nor  day?"  she  inquired  incisively; 
"  sh'd  think  't  was  a  stick  o'  candy,  the  way 
ye  drop  it  inter  yer  pocket.  Mark  my 
words,  Terry  Jackson,  it  '11  bring  ye  ter  re 
pentance  yet !  There  's  no  good  ever  comes 
o'  keepin'  bad  comp'ny  ;  'specially  when  the 
comp'ny  's  liable  ter  bust  up  an'  kill  ye  any 
minnit.  'Sides,  ye  don't  need  it  here ;  there 
may  be  pirits  an'  candy  balls  down  ter  York, 
but  we  don't  raise  no  sech  crops  round 
Ockley." 

"  Frogs  will  do  for  pirates,  and  I  '11  act 
cannibal  myself.  Don't  be  scared,  Tabby ; 
I  like  waffles  too  well  to  shoot  you." 

"  Might  as  well  shoot  a  body  as  scare  'em 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  199 

ter  death,"  retorted  Mrs.  Bloom.  "  Come, 
clear  out  o'  there  now  !  I  'm  goin'  ter 
sweep." 

"  And  you  want  to  make  a  clean  sweep, 
don't  you,  Tabby  ?  Well,  I  '11  forgive  you, 
and  bring  you  the  '  squirr'ls  '  too." 

"  Don't  hurt  yerself  ter  do  either,"  quoth 
the  housekeeper,  with  dry  energy,  as  the 
young  man  moved  off  ;  "  both  on  'em  's 
works  o'  sup'reragashin,  as  the  parson 
says !  " 


CHAPTER   XII. 

"  Had  he  stayed  to  weigh  and  to  scan, 
He  had  been  more  or  less  than  a  man." 

CHRISTINA  ROSSETTI. 

CY  eyed  Terry  with  apprehension  as  the 
fishing  party  assembled  on  the  lawn.  For 
tunately  for  their  plans,  however,  all  that 
appeared  was  a  very  handsome  English  rod 
and  a  fly-book  of  unusual  perfection  and 
elegance  of  appointment.  Terry  considered 
the  use  of  bait  quite  too  rustical  even  when 
after  such  small  fry  as  perch  or  pickerel. 

Robin  did  not  go ;  she  had  given  up  ex 
cursions  of  late.  She  said  it  was  because 
dog-days  made  frequent  churning  necessary, 
and  the  dairy  needed  her.  But  Mrs.  Bloom 
shook  her  fat  head  a  good  deal  over  this 
statement ;  though  all  she  said  was  :  — 

"  Glad  ter  see  ye  so  prewdent !  Guess 
that  two  days'  headache  done  ye  good.  I 
never  knew  dogs,  nor  '  cats-'n'-dogs  '  ter  stop 
ye  afore." 

Something   had    stopped    her    now,   how- 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  201 

ever ;  she  stood  on  the  steps  with  her  uncle 
as  the  wagon  rolled  off,  and  waved  a  blithe 
little  handkerchief  in  response  to  the  waving 
hats.  Then  she  turned,  and  went  in,  with 
a  song  on  her  lips,  to  her  morning's  work  of 
ordering  and  beautifying  the  house.  She 
hurried  it  a  little  to-day,  for  Conrad  had 
left  her  the  latest  chapters  of  his  book,  and 
she  wanted  to  get  away  under  the  trees  with 
them,  the  better  to  consider  and  criticise  at 
her  leisure.  Mrs.  Bloom,  who  was  never  to 
be  prevented  from  "  seein'  threw  a  millstone 
when  ther'  was  a  hole  in  it,"  followed  her 
mistress's  quick  movements  with  a  watchful 
eye  ;  and  when  Robin  passed  out  through 
the  kitchen,  manuscript  in  hand,  on  her  way 
to  the  orchard,  said  eye  twinkled  knowingly 
as  she  remarked,  — 

"  C'nclewded    ter   let    the    cream    saour, 
hain't   ye.?" 

"  No,"    replied    Robin,    innocently.     "  I 
churned  this  morning." 

"  H'm  !    why  didn't  ye  let  me  help  ye  ? 
Balled  it  yet  ?  " 

"  No,  it  will  ball  better  when  it  has  been 
kept  cold  awhile." 

"  An'    when    some   one 's    ter   hum   ter 
help  !  "  amended  the  housekeeper  under  her 


202  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

breath,  watching  the  girl's  pretty  figure 
passing  slowly  up  between  the  trees.  "  'T  's 
unfort'nit  Terry  's  took  t'  early  risin'  also. 
The  proverb  don't  say  nothin'  'baout  the 
early  bird's  findin'  tew  worms.  Wonder 
what  she  '11  do  with  'em !  " 

Meanwhile  the  fishing-party  had  reached 
its  destination  so  far  as  horse  and  wagon 
were  concerned.  These  were  put  up  at  the 
farm-house  nearest  the  pond ;  and  the  gen 
tlemen,  having  arranged  with  the  farmer 
for  the  use  of  his  boat,  shouldered  their  ac 
coutrements,  and,  preceded  by  Cy  bearing 
the  generous  dinner  -  basket,  filed  down 
through  the  barn-yard  and  across  the  vege 
table  garden  and  pasture  to  the  point  of  em 
barkation. 

The  boat  was  a  square  cut,  clumsy,  home 
made  affair,  and  the  oars  were  roughly 
shaped  from  wood  to  which,  in  some  places, 
the  bark  was  yet  clinging.  Terry  made 
a  grimace  as  he  took  possession  of  that 
which  he  was  to  handle  and  felt  its  weight 
and  general  unwieldiness.  Conrad  had  used 
them  more  recently;  he  took  his  place, 
quietly,  and  turned  the  boat  about.  Cy 
and  the  basket,  as  ballast,  were  placed  amid 
ships. 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  203 

"Now  then,  Joe,"  said  Terry,  "just  tell 
us"  — 

"My  name  ain't  Joe,"  muttered  Cy,  cast 
ing  uneasy  glances  toward  the  speaker. 

"  It  ought  to  be  then,  if  it  is  n't.  Which 
of  these  numerous  shores  are  we  to  steer 
for?" 

"Mister  Forkner,"  said  Cy,  ignoring  all 
other  human  presence,  "  d'  ye  see  that  little 
kind  'er  pint  that  runs  out  there  east  o'  the 
island,  that  one  with  a  big  pitch  pine  on  the 
end?"  Conrad  looked  in  the  direction  in 
dicated. 

"  Yes,  Cy,  I  see.  Shall  we  make  for 
that?" 

"  That 's  the  best  place  fer  perch.  Ef  ye 
want  pick'rel  ye  must  go  over  yonder  in  the 
shadder;  there  where  all  them  weeds  is." 

"  There  does  n't  seem  to  be  much  '  shad 
der  '  anywhere  to-day,"  remarked  Terry. 
"  Ockley  fish  are  the  only  ones  I  ever  saw 
that  were  fools  enough  to  bite  in  a  hot  sun 
like  this."  But  he  gave  his  ponderous  oar 
a  backward  sweep  that  brought  the  boat's 
head  —  if  a  craft  alike  stubbed  at  both 
ends  can  be  said  to  have  a  head  —  about, 
slowly,  in  the  required  direction.  Ten  min 
utes'  rowing  brought  them  to  the  point,  and 


204  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

Conrad,  laying  aside  his  oar,  dropped  the 
heavy  stone  which  served  for  anchor  quietly 
down  into  the  oily  black  water. 

In  the  shadow  of  the  big  pitch  pine  they 
sat  and  fished.  Whether  it  was  because, 
as  Terry  had  said,  they  were  Ockley  fish 
and  therefore  fools ;  or  whether,  after  the 
monotonous  worm  offered  by  the  country 
lads  for  their  temptation  and  destruction, 
they  found  Terry's  delicate  little  flies  too 
irresistible  to  be  neglected,  certain  it  is 
that,  in  spite  of  the  bright  sunshine  and  a 
provoking  little  breeze  which  sprang  up  and 
ruffled  the  surface  of  the  pond,  the  fish  bit 
well,  and  every  few  moments  one  or  the 
other  line  came  flying  through  the  air,  each 
with  its  little  red-finned  struggler  securely 
hooked.  Presently,  however,  as  the  breeze 
increased  and  the  flies  became  an  old  story, 
the  intervals  between  luck  grew  longer,  till 
Terry's  stock  of  patience,  never  too  great, 
gave  out,  and  he  began  to  reel  up  in  disgust. 

"This  is  working  rather  hard  for  pleas 
ure,  don't  you  think  so,  Con  ?  Here  we  have 
been  at  it  for  two  mortal  hours,  and  only  two 
dozen  miserable  little  things  to  sho  w  for  it ! 
Cy,  these  are  not  perch  at  all ;  they  're  noth 
ing  but  shiners." 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  205 

**  Ef  -ye  want  ter  try  fer  pick'rel,  Mister 
Forkner,  mebbe  they  'd  bite  better.  The 
island  'd  be  between  us  an'  the  wind,  an' 
they  're  dreadful  greedy  fellers,  anyhow." 

Conrad,  whose  mind,  to  tell  the  truth, 
was  anywhere  but  on  what  he  was  doing, 
acquiesced  silently,  and  drew  in  his  line 
also.  Perch  or  pickerel,  it  mattered  little  to 
him  ;  his  thoughts  were  busy  with  things 
that  had  to  do  with  far  more  vital  issues. 
Ever  since  the  day  when  Terry's  coming 
had  so  inopportunely  cut  short  what  he  had 
meant  to  tell  Robin,  he  had  sought  in  vain 
for  a  chance  to  begin  again.  Terry  was 
ubiquitous,  and  Robin  was,  largely,  an  ab 
sentee.  She  left  the  two  young  men,  for 
the  most  part,  to  each  other  ;  except  as  they 
drove  or  walked  all  together,  or  gathered 
for  music  in  the  evening,  and  in  that  realm 
Terry  was  king. 

There  were  no  tete-d-tetes  for  anybody. 
To  be  sure  Terry  had  only  been  there  a 
week,  but  it  seemed  like  an  age  after  the 
easy,  hourly  companionship  that  had  gone 
before.  Conrad's  days  were  fast  becoming 
numbered,  too  ;  only  two  weeks  to  the  first 
of  September,  and  he  must  not  disappoint 
the  Thachers.  All  this  was  in  his  thoughts 


206  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

as  he  pulled  his  oar  in  time  with  Terry's 
and  changed  his  small  hook  for  a  larger 
one.  Declining  the  combination  of  pea 
cock's  feathers  which  Terry  offered,  with  the 
assurance  that  it  was  "a  killer,"  he  baited 
with  a  bit  of  perch,  and  casting  his  line  well 
over  in  the  "  shaclder "  sat  waiting,  with 
eyes  fixed  on  the  gray  rocks  and  coarse,  thin 
grass  of  the  island,  strewn  with  pine  needles 
from  the  gaunt  trees  which  shadowed  them. 

"  I  say,  Con,  if  you  don't  mean  to  land 
that  fellow  I  wish  you  'd  give  some  one  else  a 
chance  !  "  exclaimed  Terry,  under  his  breath, 
when  they  had  fished,  in  silence,  for  half  an 
hour  at  least.  "  He  '11  have  your  bait  in  an 
other  minute." 

Conrad  started  from  his  reverie  and  the 
pickerel  scurried  off,  taking  the  bit  of  perch 
with  him. 

"  There,  I  'm  done  !  "  cried  Terry,  impa 
tiently  ;  "  that  is  the  only  one  that  has 
showed  his  snout  at  all ;  and  now  he  's  gone 
off  with  a  week's  provisions.  These  con 
founded  fish  don't  know  a  high-toned  fly 
when  they  see  it ;  a  worm  on  a  bent  pin  is 
about  the  style  of  thing  that  obtains  here." 

"  Mebbe  ye  '11  feel  better  when  ye  've  hed 
yer  dinner,-'  suggested  Cy.  "  There  's  a  real 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  207 

good  place  ter  camp  down  in  over  under 
them  big  oak-trees,  ef  ye  don't  mind  rowin' 
a  little  ter  git  there." 

The  oak-trees  were  across  the  pond  again. 
Another  pull  in  the  hot  sun.  But  the  spot 
repaid  them  when  they  reached  it,  for  the 
oaks  cast  a  dense,  cool  shade,  and  among  the 
rocks  was  a  spring.  They  ate  the  bountiful 
lunch  which  Mrs.  Bloom's  forethought  had 
provided ;  and  then  Conrad  strolled  off, 
among  the  trees,  leaving  Terry  and  Cy 
stretched  out  in  lazy  comfort,  beside  the 
remnants  of  the  feast. 

He  sat  himself  down,  after  a  while,  on  the 
trunk  of  a  fallen  tree  ;  and  by  dint  of  some 
pretty  hard  thinking  came  to  a  determina 
tion.  This  uncertainty  and  procrastination 
were  not  to  be  endured.  He  verily  believed 
his  brain  would  give  way  if  he  thought  it  all 
over  much  longer.  He  would  not  spend  an 
other  night  like  the  past  three  or  four  ;  it 
should  be  either  better  or  worse,  come  what 
would.  He  would  have  an  hour  with  Robin 
alone,  and  say  his  say,  even  if  he  had  to 
speak  out  plainly  to  Terry  and  tell  him  that 
he  was  de  trop.  That  Terry's  burr-like  pro 
clivities  might  be  based  upon  a  like  objec 
tion  to  himself  had  never  dawned  upon  his 
mind. 


208  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

Having  reached  a  decision  he  felt  better. 
The  breeze  blew  freshly  toward  him,  over 
the  lake,  and  for  the  first  time  that  day  he 
yielded  to  its  soothing  touch  and,  half  lying 
on  the  grass,  half  leaning  against  the  tree- 
trunk,  gave  himself  up  to  repose.  He  drew 
a  book  from  his  coat-pocket ;  a  quaint  little 
book,  "  The  Family  of  Sir  Thomas  More," 
which  Robin  had  lent  him  from  her  own  spe 
cial  book-shelves  ;  and  beginning  to  read, 
somewhat  carelessly,  was  soon  taken  posses 
sion  of  by  the  simple  beauty  of  the  chronicle, 
and  became  lost  to  all  around  him.  Present 
ly  Terry,  tired  of  Cy  and  the  broken  frag 
ments,  came  to  look  him  up.  Terry  was  no 
book-worm ;  he  perched  himself  on  the  old 
tree,  and,  thinking  in  his  turn  pretty  deep 
ly,  for  him,  apparently  amused  himself  by 
throwing  acorns  into  the  pond.  A  half  hour 
went  by. 

"  Con  !  "  said  Terry. 

No  answer.    Conrad  was  deep  in  his  book. 

"  I  say  —  Con  !  "  and  he  shied  an  acorn 
at  the  small  volume  with  accurate  aim. 

Conrad  quietly  brushed  it  off,  and  went  on 
reading. 

"  By  Jove,  I  '11  fetch  him  ! "  muttered  Ter 
ry  to  himself,  and  rapidly  accumulating  a 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  209 

handful  of  full  and  empty  cups  he  dashed 
them,  en  masse,  upon  the  printed  page  which 
was  proving  so  inconveniently  absorbing. 

"  Hulloa,  Terry!  what 's  the  matter  now?" 
inquired  his  friend,  looking  up  in  surprise  at 
this  sudden  onslaught. 

"  You  're  a  fine  sociable  chap,  are  n't  you  ?  " 
said  Terry,  mockingly.  "  I  've  hardly  been 
able  to  get  a  word  with  you  since  I  've  been 
here.  After  all  these  weeks  of  stewing  in  si 
lence,  down  yonder,  I  feel  like  saying  some 
thing  semi-occasionally.  You  could  n't  stop 
reading,  for  five  minutes  or  so,  and  talk  to 
anybody,  could  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  could,"  said  Conrad,  dumping  the 
debris  and  closing  his  book,  "  fire  away,  old 
fellow  !  "  and  he  threw  himself  back  on  the 
grass,  after  the  approved  masculine  fashion, 
with  his  locked  hands  supporting  the  back 
of  his  head,  and  his  straw  hat  tipped  over  his 
face. 

Thus  encouraged  Terry  sat  silent  for  the 
first  three  of  his  stipulated  five  minutes. 
Conrad  munched  a  grass-stalk  and  watched 
him,  amusedly,  from  under  the  hat-brim. 

"  Have  n't  swallowed  your  tongue,  have 
you  ?  "  he  inquired,  anxiously,  at  length. 

Terry  certainly  swallowed  something  pret- 
14 


210  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

ty  hard  before  he  answered,  but  then  his 
words  came  out  with  a  sudden  impulse  which 
proved  his  powers  of  articulation  unimpaired. 
"  What  do  you  think  of  Robin  ?  " 
The  question  was  totally  unexpected.  It 
shot  like  an  arrow  of  light  into  Conrad's 
brain,  and  for  one  terrible  instant  every 
nerve  in  his  body  seemed  to  contract  with 
the  shock  of  what  the  words,  or  the  tone 
in  which  they  were  spoken,  revealed  to 
him.  He  had  not  made  character  study  his 
business  for  so  long  to  remain  stupidly  blind 
now  to  what  lay  hidden  under  such  a  ques 
tion  from  such  a  source.  He  knew  Terry 
through  and  through.  He  could  always  read 
his  meaning,  and  had  read  it  often,  in  lighter 
words  than  these,  —  words  which  others  let 
pass  as  merely  "  Jackson's  nonsense."  He 
read  it  now.  He  knew,  from  that  moment, 
what,  wrapped  in  his  own  hopes  and  dreams, 
he  had  never  surmised  before.  Terry  was  in 
love  with  Robin.  There  was  no  reason  why 
he  should  not  be,  if  he  wanted  to ;  they  were 
only  cousins  by  marriage  after  all.  It  was 
no  recent  tumble  either ;  it  must  have  been 
going  on  for  years.  Would  she  —  did  she 
already  —  had  she  indeed  for  years  also  re 
turned  the  feeling  ?  Was  this  the  explana- 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  211 

tion  of  all  her  frank,  beautiful  comradeship  ? 
Was  the  fact  of  his  being  Terry's  best  friend 
the  reason,  the  only  reason,  of  her  own  read 
ily  yielded  friendliness  ?  Was  the  brightest 
summer  of  his  life  to  end  in  darkness  such 
as  this  ?  He  could  have  groaned  aloud  in 
agony  of  spirit,  but  he  did  not.  People 
don't,  commonly,  when  other  people  are  by. 
He  only  compressed  years  of  suffering  into  a 
two-minutes'  draught  and  drank  it  down  in 
silence,  under  his  hat,  while  Terry,  glancing 
impatiently  at  the  friendly  head-gear,  detect 
ed  no  slightest  ruffling  of  its  sunburned  se 
renity. 

"  Well,"  he  broke  out,  suddenly,  "  are  n't 
you  going  to  say  anything  ?  " 

The  strong  white  teeth  closed  on  the  grass- 
stalk  and  gave  it  a  fearful  bite. 

"  What  do  you  want  me  to  say  ?  " 

"  Say  ?  why,  say  what  you  think  !  She  's 
beautiful  is  n't  she  —  for  one  thing  ?  " 

"Very."     How  the  word  hurt  him  ! 

"  Is  n't  she  one  girl  in  a  thousand  ?  " 

Conrad  was  silent.  He  could  not  answer 
such  a  question  as  that.  What  had  thou 
sands  or  ten  thousands  to  do  with  her,  the 
one  woman  in  all  God's  universe  to  him  ? 

"  What  is  it  that  makes  her  so  ?     Come, 


212  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

old  fellow,  you  pretend  to  a  vast  amount  of 
insight ;  you  've  a  mighty  sharp  nose  for  the 
reasons  of  things,  —  what 's  the  reason  of 
this  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  tell." 

"  Then  I  am  smarter  than  you,  for  once, 
for  I  can.  She  's  round !  " 

"  Round  ?  "  repeated  Conrad  mechanically. 

"  Yes,  round ;  symmetrical,  if  you  like  it 
better.  There  are  no  rough  spots  and  no 
sharp  edges.  Her  face  and  figure  and  brain 
are  all  proportioned  to  each  other.  Her  eyes 
are  as  beautiful  as  her  voice,  and  her  voice 
is  as  well  modulated  as  her  motions.  She  is 
as  good  as  she  is  beautiful,  and  as  graceful 
as  she  is  good.  When  she  is  sober  you  feel 
as  if  a  smile  would  spoil  her,  and  when  she 
laughs  you  wonder  why  you  ever  wanted  her 
to  do  anything  else.  She  is  the  most  —  but 
hang  it  all!  why  am  I  yarning  all  this  off 
to  you,  I  wonder  ?  and  there  you  lie  soaking 
it  all  in  as  still  as  a  sponge  !  " 

"  Why  not,  since  of  course  it  is  all  true  ?  " 

How  true  it  was  he  knew  better  than  Ter 
ry  could  possibly  tell  him.  Was  not  his 
heart  indorsing  every  word  with  a  fresh 
throb  of  pain  ? 

"  Oh,  well,  you  can  laugh,  I  suppose.     It 's 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  213 

no  such  laughing  matter  to  me.  But  then, 
you  're  not  in  love  with  her." 

The  straw  hat  lay  motionless. 

"  It 's  a  wonder,  too,  mind  you,"  pursued 
Terry,  musingly.  "  I  've  been  beastly  afraid 
of  it,  you  know." 

"  Have  you  ?  " 

Something  curious  in  the  tone  of  these  two 
words  made  Terry  look  round.  But  as  noth 
ing  met  his  eyes  save  the  down-tipped  hat, 
with  a  long  stem  of  timothy  protruding  from 
beneath  it,  he  ascribed  the  peculiar  accent  to 
semi-suffocation  and  sailed  on. 

"  You  see,  Con,  you  've  a  way  with  you, 
when  you  like." 

"Havel?" 

"  Yes,  you  have ! "  reiterated  Terry,  begin 
ning  to  wax  impatient  of  these  brief,  interrog 
atory  answers.  "  And  it 's  a  mighty  winning 
way,  too." 

"  Is  it  ?  " 

"  Confound  it  all !  "  cried  the  badgered 
youth,  leaping  to  his  feet  and  with  one  well- 
directed  blow  knocking  the  other's  slight 
screen  into  a  barberry  bush ;  "  drop  your  la 
conics,  old  man  !  What  do  you  want  to  choke 
yourself  to  death  with  your  own  hat  for  ?  " 

Conrad  laughed  and  drew  himself  lazily 


214  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

up  into  the  shade  ;  but  there  was  a  contrac 
tion  about  his  eyes  and  forehead  as  of  pain. 
Perhaps  the  sudden  sunshine  dazzled  him. 

"  What 's  the  matter  with  you,  Con  ?  got  a 
headache  ?  " 

"  No  —  yes  —  nothing  !  Get  to  the  point, 
man,  for  Heaven's  sake,  if  there  is  a  point, 
and  let 's  get  away  out  of  this  fearful  heat !  " 

"  There  is  n't  any  point,  just  at  present, 
but  I  mean  there  shall  be  before  I  go  back  to 
the  city.  I  promised  Uncle  Ike  not  to  say 
a  word  for  two  years,  but  the  two  years  are 
more  than  up  now,  and  I  've  got  a  good  many 
words  to  say." 

"  You  promised  your  uncle  ?  "  said  Conrad, 
speaking  slowly  and  with  difficulty.  "  Then 
the  matter  is  already  understood  in  the  fam- 

iiy." 

"  Of  course.  Robin  and  I  grew  up  togeth 
er,  you  know.  It  has  always  been  straight 
sailing  till  old  Crabbe  went  and  got  the  gol 
ly  wobbles.  You  must  confess,"  he  hurried 
on,  laughing  a  trifle  consciously,  "  that  it  has 
been  pretty  rough  on  me  to  stay  behind  and 
know  there  was  another  fellow  —  and  a  bet 
ter  one  —  up  here  where  I  wanted  to  be. 
But  I  see  that 's  all  right  now.  Robin  is  not 
the  girl  to  desert  old  friends  for  new  ones. 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  215 

There  's  no  harm  done, —  and  you  '11  wish  me 
joy  old  fellow,  won't  you?  " 

He  held  out  his  hand  to  his  friend,  sure  of 
his  sympathy,  and  his  friend  did  not  fail  him. 
But  as  Conrad  yielded  to  the  other's  hearty 
pressure  the  first  two  lines  of  Launcelot 
Owen's  epitaph  burned  themselves,  like  fire, 
into  his  memory.  Was  this  why  he  had  felt 
that  strange  thrill  of  spiritual  kinship  ? 

"  God  gave  me  a  hard  daye's  worke 
But  I  did  not  shirke." 

"  And  I  will  not  shirk !  "  he  said  proudly 
to  himself  as  he  strode  slowly  back,  after  Ter 
ry,  to  their  place  of  landing.  "  The  '  rest ' 
will  come  at  last." 

It  did  not  begin  to  come  as  yet,  though. 
The  amount  of  slow  torture  which  human 
nature  can  endure,  and  yet  stand  on  its  feet 
and  give  no  sign,  is  fearful  to  realize.  Con 
rad  walked  on  mechanically,  like  one  in  a 
terrible,  dumb  dream.  His  sight  was  intro 
verted,  reading  the  sharp,  transfixing  sen 
tence  that  the  last  half  hour  had  written,  in 
black  characters,  across  the  one  bright  chap 
ter  of  his  life.  Even  had  there  been  hope 
for  him,  he  must,  in  common  honor,  have 
stood  aside  for  Terry's  prior  claim  ;  and  there 


216  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

was  no  hope.  "  Robin  is  not  the  girl  to  de 
sert  old  friends  for  new  ones  !  "  How  well 
he  knew  the  truth  of  Terry's  words. 

So  absorbed  was  he  in  his  own  trouble 
that  he  never  saw  Cy  sitting,  unconscious  of 
their  approach,  under  one  of  the  generous  old 
trees.  Terry  saw,  however,  and  noticed  that 
the  fat  boy  was  intent  upon  something.  Fol 
lowing  the  direction  of  his  gaze  he  discovered 
a  large  gray  squirrel  seated  on  the  lowest 
limb  of  another  tree  near  by  and  watching,  in 
his  turn,  the  boy.  It  reminded  him  of  some 
thing  which  he  had  been  near  forgetting: 
the  material  for  Mrs.  Bloom's  pie.  He 
raised  his  hand  softly,  and  thrust  it  into  his 
left  breast  pocket. 

From  beneath  the  oak  where  Cy  lay,  mo 
tionless,  came  a  low,  cluttering  sound.  The 
squirrel  ran  down  the  branch  to  its  very  end, 
and  stopped,  his  black  eyes  shining,  his  full, 
feathery  brush  giving  little  spasmodic  jerks. 
The  low  call  came  again.  Could  there  be 
another  squirrel  down  there  among  the  bush 
es?  The  black  eyes  and  bushy  tail  came 
nearer,  their  gray  owner  approaching  warily 
over  the  soft  grass.  Within  ten  feet  of  Cy's 
resting-place  he  came  to  a  halt,  raised  him 
self  upon  his  little  haunches  and  sniffed  the 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  217 

air  questioningly.  Something  flashed  in  the 
sunlight,  as  Terry  raised  his  hand  with  steady 
aim.  Conrad,  catching  sight  of  it  all  too  late, 
made  a  hasty  rush  forward,  and  shouted.  Cy 
turned  his  head,  and  saw  the  detested  revol 
ver  gleaming  in  Terry's  grasp.  The  blind 
rage  that  was  one  of  the  few  evidences  of  his 
mental  deficiency  took  possession  of  him ; 
and  never  stopping  to  see  that  the  squirrel 
had  fled  at  the  first  alarm,  he  rushed  frantic 
ally  forward,  and  wrenched  the  weapon  from 
its  owner's  hand. 

It  was  at  full  cock.  There  came  a  blaze, 
a  report,  and  poor  Cy  lay  in  a  heap  on  the 
ground  with  a  22-calibre  ball  in  his  side. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

"  Ah  said  I  not 
Something  is  here  amiss  ?  " 

OWEN  MEREDITH. 

UP  in  the  hill  orchard  some  one  was 
singing  like  a  bobolink.  The  clear,  liquid 
notes  came  floating  down  beneath  overarch 
ing,  fruit-laden  boughs  and  floated  in  at  the 
library  windows  where  the  parson  sat  and 
smiled  to  hear  them. 

"  Happy  and  free  -  hearted  as  ever,  my 
Robin-red-breast!  "  he  thought  to  himself. 
"  Terry  may  have  to  wait  a  bit  after  all. 
She  does  not  tire  of  the  old  home  or  the  old 
man  yet.  Just  as  well,  just  as  well !  the 
boy  is  a  good  boy,  but  he  is  young  and, 
sometimes,  he  seems  a  little  selfish,  a  little 
selfish  like  his  father.  If  only  he  were  more 
like  —  but  there !  '  comparisons  are  odious,' 
and  girls  will  choose  for  themselves." 

The  breeze  blew  over  the  lawn  again  and 
brought  another  snatch  of  the  old  song. 
Bending  forward,  the  parson  could  see  the 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  219 

girl,  in  her  white  dress,  moving  among  the 
gnarled  old  trunks  of  the  apple-trees.  She 
held  in  her  hand  the  manuscript  she  had 
been  reading,  but  her  eyes  were  searching 
the  green  wilderness  overhead  and  her  lips 
were  overflowing  with  melody. 

"  In  a  fair  wood  like  this,  where  the  beeches  are  growing, 

Brave  Robin  Hood  hunted  in  days  of  old : 
Down  his  broad  shoulders  his  brown  locks  fell  flowing ; 
His  cap  was  of  green,  with  a  tassel  of  gold." 

A  farm  horse,  ridden  bareback  by  a 
small,  barefooted,  sunburned  boy,  came 
clumsily  cantering  down  the  road.  Robin's 
eyes  followed  the  moving  object,  half  un 
consciously  ;  while  the  sweet  voice  sang 
on:  — 

"  His  eye  was  as  blue  as  the  sky  in  midsummer; 
Ruddy  his  cheek  as  the  oak-leaves  in  June ; 
Hardy  his  voice  as  he  hailed  the  new-comer, 
Tender  to  maidens  in  changeable  tune." 

The  horse  stopped  at  the  gate,  and  the 
boy  slid  off  and  tied  the  end  of  the  leather 
halter,  which  served  as  bridle,  to  the  fence. 
For  one  moment  a  thrill  of  apprehension,  as 
of  some  bad  tidings,  swept  over  the  girl ; 
but  the  messenger  had  gone  round  to  the 
kitchen  door  ;  some  errand  to  Mrs.  Bloom, 
probably.  She  passed  up,  through  the  or 
chard,  to  the  boundary  wall  and  went  on 


220  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

with  her  ballad,  looking  off,  over  the  river, 
to  the  fair,  far-away  hills. 

"  His  step  had  a  strength,  and  his  smile  had  a  sweetness; 

His  spirit  was  wrought  of  the  sun  and  the  breeze ; 
He  moved  as  a  man  framed  in  Nature's  completeness, 
And  grew  unabashed  with  the  growth  of  the  trees." 

The  barefooted  boy  had  come  out  again 
and  Mrs.  Bloom  followed  him.  The  former 
sprawled  himself  onto  his  beast's  back  and 
cantered  off  as  he  had  come ;  the  latter 
came  up,  over  the  short  orchard  grass,  to 
her  mistress  ;  moving  slowly,  as  if  weighted 
with  a  heavy  message. 

"  I  think,  as  I  lie  in  the  shade  of  the  beeches, 

How  lived  and  how  loved  this  old  hero  of  song ; 

I  wish  we  could  follow  the  lesson  he  teaches, 
And  dwell,  as  he  dwelt,  these  wild  thickets  among; 

At  least  for  a  while,  till  we  caught  up  the  meaning 
The  beeches  breathe  out  in  the  wealth  of  their  growth  ; 

Width  in  their  nobleness,  love  in  their  leaning"   — 

"  Miss  Robin,  my  dear  !  " 

Robin  turned  her  head ;  her  eyes,  with  a 
dreamy,  preoccupied  look  in  them,  rested  on 
the  housekeeper's  face.  But  no  sooner  did 
she  catch  its  expression  than  she  started 
forward,  the  dreamy  look  all  gone. 

"  What  is  it  ?  what  has  happened  ?  "  the 
nameless  dread  came  back  and  took  posses 
sion  of  her. 

"  There,  there,  my  dear  !    don't  you  take 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  221 

on  now,  don't !  'T  ain't  as  ef  't  was  Master 
Terry,  though  I  don't  know  but  it 's  wicked 
of  me  ter  say  so  when  the  poor  feller  may 
be  a-dyiii'." 

"  Who  is  it  ?  what  is  it  ?  "  cried  the  girl, 
in  a  desperate  whisper.  "  Tell  me  !  quick !  " 
and  she  fairly  shook  the  portly  woman  in 
her  eager  terror. 

"  Why,"  began  Mrs.  Bloom,  slowly,  striv 
ing  to  be  composed  and  only  succeeding 
in  being  exasperating,  "  Master  Terry  was 
shootin'  somethin'  an'  —  the  other  chap 
tried  ter  stop  him,  an'  —  ter  tell  the  trewth 
I  dunno  exactly  haow  't  was,  but  the  pistil 
went  off,  anyways,  as  I  Ve  alwers  expected 
'twould,  some  day,  an'  hit  him." 

"  Hit  who  ?  "  almost  shrieked  Robin,  pa 
tience  and  grammar  alike  deserting  her  in 
the  same  sharp  breath.  "  Not  —  not  "  — 

She  could  not  have  spoken  his  name  just 
then  to  save  her  life.  She  did  not  need  to ; 
Mrs.  Bloom  had  not  been  seeing  through 
millstones  all  summer  for  nothing. 

"  Not  Mister  Forkner  ?  Land  alive,  no, 
child !  Cy,  Cy  's  the  one  that 's  hurt. 
Terry  '11  hev  ter  git  up  earlier  'n  he  done 
this  mornin'  ter  blow  Mister  Forkner's 
brains  out !  Ye  might  ha'  knowed  that." 


222  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

Her  mistress  took  no  notice  of  her. 
Shock  and  counter-shock  had  followed  one 
another  so  quickly  that  they  came  near 
being  too  much  for  her.  Another  kind  of 
girl  would  have  fainted  ;  Robin  only  clutched 
the  sharp  stones  of  the  wall  till  they  cut 
her  hands,  and  turned  from  white  to  red, 
and  from  red  to  white  again  with  startling- 
rapidity.  The  housekeeper's  sharp  eyes  saw 
and  understood  it  all ;  but  she  was  a  shrewd 
woman,  and  stood  quiet  till  the  tense,  cling 
ing  fingers  had  loosened  their  grasp  and  lay 
helpless.  Then  she  said  :  — 

"  They  're  up  ter  'Biram  Woods's,  an'  they 
want  ye  ter  send  up  the  spring-wagon,  with 
some  pillers  an'  things,  ter  fetch  him  hum 
in.  Leastways  they  mid  the  parson,  but  I 
knew  he  would  n't  know  nothin'  what  ter 
do." 

Robin  turned,  without  a  word,  and  flew 
down  the  orchard  and  into  the  house  as  if 
she  had  had  wings. 

"  First  down  an'  then  up,  that 's  her  all 
over ! "  groaned  Mrs.  Bloom,  as  she  fol 
lowed  more  needfully.  "  She  '11  never  en 
dure  ter  hev  three  on  'em  as  I  hev." 

In  which  declaration  Robin  would  most 
assuredly  have  upheld  her. 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  223 

The  parson,  sitting  peacefully  by  his  win 
dow,  was  suddenly  startled  by  beholding  first 
a  mattress,  and  then  a  shower  of  pillows, 
come  flying  down,  from  the  clouds  appar 
ently,  to  the  grass-plot  before  him.  Then 
Mrs.  Bloom  was  seen  hurrying  to  the  barn, 
with  her  apron  over  her  head,  and  in  an 
other  minute  Robin  came  into  the  room, 
with  her  hat  on  and  traces  of  recent  tears 
about  her  eyes. 

"  Uncle  Ike,"  she  said,  "  we  are  wanted 
up  at  Abiram  "Woods's.  Terry  has  contrived 
to  let  his  revolver  go  off  hind-side-before, 
somehow,  and  Cy  is  hurt." 

"  You  don't  say  so !  "  exclaimed  the  par 
son,  springing  to  his  feet  and  seizing  the 
hat  that  always  lay  handy.  "  That  is  bad 
news.  But  why  do  you  assume  that  it  is 
Terry's  fault,  my  dear?" 

"  I  know  it  must  be  his  fault.  Cy  never 
meddles  with  things  that  do  not  concern  him. 
But  here  is  the  wagon ;  we  won't  stop  to 
talk  about  it  now.  Put  in  all  those  things, 
Abijah,  and  Mrs.  B.  just  hand  me  that  big 
umbrella.  Now,  Uncle  Ike,  we  must  drive 
fast !  " 

It  was  a  silent  drive.  The  parson  was 
trying  to  account  satisfactorily  to  himself 


224  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

for  the  accident,  and  wondering  how  re 
volvers  should  have  been  in  requisition  on 
a  fishing  excursion ;  while  in  Robin's  mind 
gladness  for  Conrad's  immunity  and  sorrow 
for  Cy's  misfortune  were  waging  tumultuous 
warfare. 

As  they  drove  up  to  the  door  of  the  farm 
house  Terry,  rather  pale  but  trying  hard  to 
look  unconcerned,  appeared  from  within. 

"Well,  Robin,  jour  protegee  has  been 
getting  himself  into  hot  water !  Nothing 
very  alarming,  though,  the  doctor  thinks." 

Robin  vouchsafed  him  not  even  a  glance, 
but,  putting  one  foot  on  the  wheel,  sprang 
past  him  and  entered  the  stuffy  little  room 
off  the  kitchen,  where  Cy  lay.  Mrs.  Woods 
was  sitting  by  the  bedside  armed  with  a 
palm-leaf  fan,  which  she  waved  vigorously  to 
and  fro  to  drive  away  the  flies  ;  talking,  the 
while  to  Conrad,  who  stood  by  the  window. 
He  came  forward  to  meet  Robin,  when  she 
entered,  and  spoke  reassuringly  of  Cy  as 
Terry  had  done ;  but  his  face  looked  worn 
and  grave,  and  he  presently  passed  out  upon 
the  stoop  to  see  that  the  farmer  and  his  man 
were  in  readiness  to  help  lift. 

Robin  wondered  a  little.  His  manner  was 
not  at  all  as  usual,  even  allowing  for  the  un- 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  225 

usual  circumstances  ;  but  this  was  no  time 
for  such  considerations  ;  Cy  was  waiting,  and 
must  be  gotten  home  at  once.  She  went 
back  to  the  wagon  and  busied  herself  with 
mattress  and  pillows  till  all  was  arranged  to 
her  liking.  Then  the  four  men  lifted  the 
wounded  boy,  finding  their  united  strength 
none  too  much  for  the  skillful  accomplish 
ment  of  the  task,  and  laid  him  gently  down 
upon  the  soft  bed  provided  for  him.  Robin 
said  nothing  to  him,  for  he  seemed  to  shun 
being  spoken  to,  lying  with  closed  eyes,  for 
the  most  part,  and  feigning  sleep  ;  though 
she  knew  well  there  could  be  no  sleep  for 
him  in  his  present  condition,  jolting  along 
over  roads  whose  frequent  roughnesses  even 
the  spring-wagon  and  well-arranged  cushions 
were  powerless  to  overcome.  So  she  only 
took  care  that  the  big  umbrella  should  in 
cline  always  at  just  the  right  angle,  and  that 
the  well  side  should  take  the  brunt  of  the 
jouncing  as  the  parson  drove  carefully  on, 
avoiding,  as  much  as  was  possible,  all  stones 
and  cradle-holes  in  his  way. 

Terry  and  Conrad,  in  their  own  wagon, 
had  taken  a  shorter  and  rougher  cut  to  the 
village  to  prepare  Janet  and  the  cottage 
for  Cy's  reception.  Neither  required  much 

15 


226  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

preparation  ;  the  house  was  always  ready,  to 
the  extent  of  its  resources,  for  anything,  and 
its  owner  had  been  brought  face  to  face  with 
trouble  too  often,  in  her  checkered  life,  to 
fear  it  when  it  came.  So,  after  hearing  them 
out,  quietly,  she  turned  with  only  an  added 
gravity  in  her  face,  a  slight  compression  of 
the  lips,  and  went  on  with  her  task  of  ironing 
Cy's  Sunday  shirt,  which  must  not  be  left  to 
mildew  for  want  of  care  though  the  poor  fel 
low  was  little  likely  to  need  it  for  some  time 
to  come.  Meanwhile,  the  two  gentlemen, 
with  a  neighbor  or  two  to  assist  in  the  lift 
ing,  stood  waiting  at  the  steps  till  the  parson 
drove  up. 

Cy  opened  his  eyes  and  looked  at  his 
grandmother,  then  closed  them  again  and 
lay  passive  while  the  men  transferred  him 
from  wagon  to  bed.  When  he  was  fairly 
established  and  made  comfortable  his  grand 
mother  bent  over  and  kissed  him,  and  again 
he  opened  his  eyes  and  looked  at  her.  That 
was  all.  The  one  a  woman,  refined  above 
her  station,  the  other  a  clumsy,  half-witted 
boy,  they  yet  had  thus  much  in  common  be 
side  their  kinship  :  that  they  were  at  once 
too  proud  and  too  innately  delicate  to  dem 
onstrate,  largely,  either  grief  or  affection 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  227 

while  other  eyes  were  looking  on.  Conrad 
lingered  by  the  bedside  as  Robin  and  her 
uncle  passed  out  into  the  kitchen  with  Janet. 
He  bent  over  the  boy  and  said,  with  feel 
ing*  — 

"  You  are  a  brave  fellow,  Cy  !  I  shall  stay 
by  to  see  you  well  out  of  this.  If  I  had 
only  kept  my  word  a  little  better  you  would 
not  have  been  lying  here  now." 

The  fat  boy  opened  his  eyes  once  more 
and  smiled  up  into  his  friend's  face,  —  a 
smile  of  love  and  gratitude  which  came 
straight  from  his  heart,  and  wore  the  beauty 
such  looks  ever  do  wear  independently  of 
any  blemish  of  mere  feature.  The  affection 
and  trust,  and  a  vague  something  undefined 
which  seemed  to  be  conveyed  in  that  one 
look,  were  too  much  for  the  young  man  ;  he 
turned  abruptly  away  and  followed  the  others 
out.  As  he  gained  the  foot  of  the  steps  the 
parson  turned  from  handing  Robin  into  the 
vehicle,  and  evidently  expected  him  to  fol 
low.  Terry  and  the  other  equipage  had  dis 
appeared. 

"  Mr.  Gary,"  said  Conrad,  pausing  a  lit 
tle  over  his  words  as  though  he  found  them 
hard  to  say,  "  I  think  it  will  be  better  for 
me  not  to  go  back  to  Saints'  Rest  with  you. 


228  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

Janet  needs  some  one  with  strong  arms  to 
help  her,  and  Cy  will  let  me  do  for  him  as 
he  will  not  let  a  stranger.  Besides,  I  feel 
in  a  measure  accountable  for  his  trouble, 
and  must  see  him  on  the  road  to  recovery 
before  I  leave." 

"  Leave  !  My  dear  boy,  what  are  you  talk 
ing  about  ?  September  is  two  weeks  off 
yet." 

"  I  know,"  replied  Conrad,  and  one  quick 
ear  at  least  caught  the  repressed  pain  in  his 
voice ;  "  but  my  plans  have  changed,  un 
avoidably,  since  morning.  Had  it  not  been 
for  this  accident  I  should  have  returned  to 
Boston  to-morrow.  I  have  had  —  news  which 
calls  me  away  from  Ockley." 

The  parson  was  just  the  least  bit  deaf. 
He  caught  words  readily  enough,  but  the 
nice  shadings  of  tone  were  wont  to  escape 
him.  He  took  Conrad's  answer  at  its  letter, 
which  was  as  well,  perhaps. 

"  News  ?  not  bad  news,  I  hope  ;  not  "  — 
He  paused,  with  the  peculiar  look  of  impend 
ing  condolence  on  his  face  which  people  wear 
when  they  are  not  quite  certain  whether 
there  will  prove  to  be  a  use  for  it  or  not. 

"  Not  sickness,  nor  death,  no.  But  I 
must  go,  for  all  that,"  said  Conrad,  gravely. 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  229 

Only  I  shall  wait  to  see  Cy  better,  first.  I 
can  be  more  useful  to  him  here  than  two 
miles  off  ;  so  if  you  will  kindly  let  Abijah 
bring  my  trunk  to  the  hotel  I  shall  be  greatly 
obliged.  I  am  more  sorry  than  I  can  say  to 
break  away  from  your  hospitality  so  sud 
denly  ;  but  it  is  not  really  good-by  yet,  you 
know,"  he  added,  trying  to  smile. 

"  Good-by  ?  I  should  think  not !  Let  us 
hope  you  won't  have  to  go,  after  all.  Abijah 
shall  bring  your  trunk  down,  if  you  wish,  of 
course,  but  had  n't  you  better  reconsider 
that  part  of  it  ?  I  shall  be  driving  down 
daily,  as  usual,  and  Robin  will  be  with  Janet 
most  of  the  time,  if  I  know  her." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Conrad,  quietly,  "  but 
my  place  seems  to  be  here,  just  now.  My 
holiday  has  been  a  rare  one,  thanks  to  you 
both,  but  it  is  over !  "  And  he  raised  his 
hat,  and  stepped  aside  to  let  them  pass. 

Somehow,  there  was  nothing  to  be  said. 
The  parson  was  surprised,  and  sorry,  but 
could  find  no  good  reason  for  combating 
his  guest's  decision.  As  for  Robin,  she 
could  not  have  spoken  a  word  if  she  had 
wanted  to  ;  her  heart  was  too  full.  She 
hardly  dared  look  up  lest  Conrad  should 
see  what  an  effect  his  words  had  produced. 


230  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

Her  uncle  wondered,  as  they  drove  home,  at 
the  depth  of  her  interest  in  Cy,  as  mani 
fested  by  her  unusually  grave  and  subdued 
demeanor. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

"  The  promise  promised  so  long  ago, 
The  long  promise  has  not  been  kept." 

CHRISTINA  ROSSETTI. 

ROBIN  was  sitting  in  the  cool  darkness, 
on  the  wide  east  stoop,  alone.  She  had 
come  here  on  purpose  to  be  alone,  and  to 
think  ;  leaving  Terry  and  her  uncle  talking 
together  at  the  front  of  the  house.  It  was 
just  five  hours  since  they  had  parted  from 
Conrad  in  the  village  street.  It  seemed 
five  years.  Only  this  morning  all  had  been 
as  usual ;  no  cloud  to  mar  the  happy  seren 
ity  of  their  daily  life,  except,  indeed,  the 
little,  indefinable  cloud,  hardly  as  big  as  "  a 
man's  hand,"  of  light  restraint  that  Terry's 
presence  had  thrown  over  their  former 
unreserved  companionship.  Yet  that  had 
only  been  for  a  week ;  it  was  but  common 
courtesy  to  set  aside  their  old  ways  a  little 
out  of  deference  to  a  new-comer.  Conrad 
was  still  free  to  propose  walks  or  drives,  if 
he  liked.  And  she  had  been  so  sure  he 


232  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

would  like  ;  so  sure  that  their  interfered- 
with  afternoon  of  last  week  would  be  made 
good  ere  the  end  of  this.  And  lo,  a  thun 
derbolt  from  a  blue  sky  ! 

Robin  buried  her  head  in  her  hands  and 
thought  —  and  thought.  "  Since  morning  ;  " 
those  were  his  words.  But  he  had  read  all  his 
letters  before  leaving  the  house,  she  knew, 
and  no  communication  could  have  reached 
him  out  on  Porter's  Pond  with  Cy  and  Terry. 
With  Terry  !  Ah,  the  light  flashed  upon  her 
now !  The  hands  unclasped,  the  head  was 
thrown  back,  proudly,  in  the  darkness.  She 
was  not  blind  nor  deaf ;  she  had  known  for  a 
good  while  past  what  was  simmering  in  her 
cousin's  mind.  She  had  thrown  in  an  occa 
sional  dash  of  cold  water,  too,  as  opportunity 
offered ;  but  he  was  only  a  boy,  after  all ; 
he  was  wont  to  have  sudden  freaks  in  other 
matters  and  get  over  them  again  ;  somehow 
she  had  never  attached  much  weight  to  this. 
It  was  only  a  phase.  A  little  tonic  snub, 
once  in  a  while,  kept  him  pretty  straight, 
and  he  would  grow  wiser  in  time.  But 
now,  if  he  had  boiled  over  —  to  Conrad  ! 
She  sprang  to  her  feet  and  clenched  her 
pretty  hands  into  little  redoubtable  fists  as 
she  thought  of  it.  Ridiculous  !  how  could 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  233 

Conrad  credit  such  a  thing  for  a  moment  ? 
Was  this  his  notion  of  friendship,  to  let 
the  silly  talk  of  a  boy  come  between  them 
now,  when  he  ought  to  know  her  so  well? 
And  then  the  hands  relaxed,  and  a  warm 
glow  shot  from  heart  to  face  as  she  remem 
bered  how  he  had  looked  and  spoken.  She 
smiled  to  herself,  in  the  darkness,  well 
pleased  to  think  what  her  hold  upon  his  life 
must  be  since  even  a  false  impression  could 
give  him  such  pain  in  passing.  For  it  would 
pass,  of  course  it  would.  Had  he  not  given 
her  his  promise  that  no  third  person  should 
ever  interfere  between  them  ?  He  would 
never  leave  Ockley  without  giving  her  at 
least  a  chance  to  explain.  And  she  would 
explain ;  there  should  be  no  heroic  false 
pride  about  her.  What  a  mercy  that  he 
had  been  kept  from  starting  off  at  a  tan 
gent  !  She  should  have  opportunity  still  to 
prove  to  him  how  utterly  foundationless 
Terry's  castles  were.  Then  she  remembered 
what  had  kept  him,  and  her  indignation  with 
Terry  broke  forth  afresh.  Was  it  not 
enough,  for  one  day's  work,  to  have  made 
two  people  miserable,  but  he  must  pretty 
nearly  kill  a  third  ?  Poor  Cy  !  to  whom  it 
seemed  as  if  sufficient  had  been  denied  al- 


234  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

ready,  shut  up  all  through  this  sunny  sum 
mer-time  he  so  loved  and  reveled  in,  just 
because  a  thoughtless  boy  had  valued  his 
own  momentary  gratification  above  a  poor, 
half-witted  fellow's  simple  pleasure.  Cy,  a 
fool !  there  was  great  question  in  her  mind 
as  to  which  was  the  greater  fool  of  the  two  ! 
The  idea  of  any  human  being,  who  pretended 
to  the  possession  of  brain,  shooting  at  a 
squirrel  with  a  ball  like  that !  One  would 
think  the  game  had  been  a  buffalo  ! 

She  laughed  out  to  herself  at  the  thought 
and  then  caught  herself  up  in  a  hurry.  What 
if  Terry  should  hear  ?  Too  late  !  he  had 
heard ;  and  the  next  moment  the  rustling 
of  the  grass  warned  her  that  he  was  coming. 
Meet  him  again  that  night  she  would  not ! 
She  sprang  out  into  the  darkness  and  fled, 
noiselessly  and  fleetly,  round  the  opposite 
corner  of  the  house.  Before  he  could  dis 
cover  her  flight  and  follow  she  was  safe  in 
her  own  room  with  the  door  bolted.  Once 
there,  strangely  enough,  all  her  newly  built 
up  hopes  dissipated  themselves  into  thin  air. 
The  whole  burden  of  pain  and  misery  that 
the  day  had  brought  to  herself  and  others 
rushed  over  her  in  a  flood  which  she  felt 
powerless  to  stem.  She  threw  herself  into 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  285 

the  big,  chintz-covered  chair  by  the  window 
and  cried  as  she  had  never  cried  in  all  her 
life  before.  Yet,  sooth  to  say,  her  tears, 
after  all,  were  more  for  her  friend's  pain 
than  her  own. 

Meantime  this  friend,  at  the  little  village 
hotel,  was  having  his  thoughts  too,  and  un 
locking  his  trunk  in  search  of  needed  ar 
ticles  for  Cy.     The  first  thing  that  met  his 
eyes,  lying  where  he  had  himself  put  it  that 
morning  to  keep  it  out  of  harm's  —  Mrs. 
Bloom's  —  way,  was  the  unfinished  painting 
of  Janet's  cottage.  He  smiled,  half  bitterly, 
as  he  saw  it  and  remembered  the  afternoon 
when  it  had   been    begun.     How  different 
had  been  the  evening  of  that  day  from  this  ! 
The    scarlet    columbine,  for  which  he  had 
plunged  and  scrambled   at  the   risk  of  his 
neck  through  the  darkness  by  the  river,  was 
lying  safe,  in  its  withered  brightness,  in  his 
little   pocket  dictionary,  from  whose   pages 
they  had  once   stood  to   read  together  the 
definition  of  a  certain  word.     What  had  be 
come  of  the  friendship  they  had    plighted 
then  ?     Had  it,  too,  withered  and  faded  like 
the  flower  ?   Nay,  he  knew  but  too  well  that, 
on  his  side  at  least,  it  had  blossomed  into 
such   glorious    sweetness    as   he    had  never 


236  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

dreamed  of  in  all  his  life  before.  Only, 
"  it  takes  two  to  make  a  bargain."  Robin 
had  done  all  she  bargained  to  do  ;  there 
had  been  no  failure  on  her  side  ;  the  trouble 
lay  in  the  fact  that  he  had  done  vastly  more 
on  his  part  than  the  contract  called  for,  and 
they  had  need  to  make  their  bargain  all 
over  again  or  —  cancel  it  forever.  The 
waves  of  trouble  were  dashing  over  him 
now  as  they  were  dashing  over  Robin,  at 
her  chamber  window,  only  two  short  miles 
away.  But  neither  could  read  the  other's 
thoughts,  and  the  soft,  warm  wind,  blowing 
straight  from  him  to  her,  told  no  tales. 
Memory  after  memory  came  surging  back 
upon  his  heart  as  he  stood  there,  motionless, 
the  picture  in  his  hand.  The  thought  of 
that  evening  on  the  Ridge,  when  they  had 
stood  together  in  the  moonlight  and  Robin 
had  sung  for  him,  came  back,  with  a  new, 
terrible  sting  in  its  sweetness,  and  mastered 
him.  Once  more  the  full,  rich  tones  were 
sounding  all  about  him.  How  full  of  prom 
ise  had  seemed  the  words  she  sung. 

"Oh,  rest  in  the  Lord;  wait  patiently  for  Him, 
And  He  shall  give  thee  thy  heart's  desire." 

His  heart's  desire !  he  had  thought  then  that 
he  knew  what  that  was.     And  those  beauti- 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  237 

ful  words  of  the  Invocation  had  been  like  a 
prayer  for  blessing  upon  them  both.  Again 
the  melody  was  beating  round  him  in  a  flood ; 
the  sweet  breath  of  the  wild-grape  blossoms 
floated  near,  and  Robin's  face  looked  up  at 
him  in  the  moonlight.  He  started  as  a 
great  brown  beetle,  attracted  by  the  reeking 
warmth  and  light  of  his  kerosene  lamp,  came 
booming  in  at  the  open  window.  There  was 
no  moon  to-night,  and  out  of  the  darkness 
below  came  up  the  faint  squeak  of  the  host 
ler's  fiddle. 

"  Pshaw,  I  am  a  fool !  "  he  exclaimed, 
bitterly;  and  blowing  out  the  light,  went 
fumbling  down  the  steep,  narrow  staircase 
to  the  street. 

Janet  saw  nothing  to  wish  otherwise  in 
either  his  looks  or  attentions  that  night,  as 
he  shared  the  watch  by  Cy's  bedside  and 
ministered  to  his  wants  as  tenderly  as  a 
brother  could  have  done.  But  the  fat  boy, 
taught  by  some  half-smothered  instinct  in 
his  own  heart,  and  his  great  love  for  his 
friend,  looked  up  into  Conrad's  face  with 
wistful  eyes  that  read  the  bravely  hidden 
pain  and  guessed  its  cause. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

"  For  life  was  bitter  through  those  words  repressed." 

JEAX  INGELOW. 

"  BEN,"  said  Miss  Constance,  as  she 
handed  her  brother  his  second  cup  of  coffee, 
"  the  boy  is  in  trouble." 

"  H'm  !  "  returned  the  lawyer,  glancing 
down  the  second  page  of  the  letter  that  lay 
beside  his  plate ;  "I  should  say  it  was  the 
fat  friend  who  was  in  trouble.  Con's  whole- 
footed  yet,  as  far  as  I  see." 

"  I  see  farther  than  you  do,  Ben." 

"  The  deuce  you  do !  may  be  you  see 
double,  old  lady." 

"  He  is  in  trouble  ;  "  repeated  Miss  Con 
stance,  slowly,  holding  out  her  hand  for  the 
letter ;  "  I  see  it  in  every  word." 

"  You  see  a  heap  of  it,  take  it  altogether, 
then." 

"  His  visit  is  not  ending  as  he  hoped,  and 
I  expected,  it  would  end,"  pursued  the  lady, 
paying  no  heed  to  the  remarks  of  her  skepti 
cal  brother. 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  239 

"  And  how  the  —  how  did  you  expect  it 
to  end  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Thacher,  awaiting  her 
reply  with  his  coffee-cup  half  way  to  his 
lips. 

"I  expected  it  would  end  in  an  engage 
ment." 

The  lawyer  stared  ;  then  he  took  a  hasty 
gulp  of  the  coffee,  which  proved  to  be  pretty 
hot,  and  set  his  cup  down  upon  its  saucer 
with  a  sharp  click. 

"  Thank  the  Lord,"  he  exclaimed,  slowly, 
"  I  'm  not  a  woman  ! '' 

"  The  Lord  knew  what  He  was  about  when 
He  made  you,  my  dear,  as  He  always  does," 
returned  his  sister  calmly. 

"  It 's  hard  enough,"  went  on  Mr.  Thacher, 
"  to  face  trouble  when  it  comes ;  but  this  tal 
ent  for  sighting  the  tail  of  a  tragedy  ten 
miles  off,  and  never  winking  again  for  fear 
you  should  lose  sight  of  it  before  it  gets  here, 
is  something  exclusively  feminine,  which,  I 
feel  moved  to  remark,  I  'm  devoutly  thank 
ful  men  don't,  as  a  rule,  possess !  " 

"  I  told  you  long  ago  that  Conrad  was  in 
love  with  this  girl,  which  I  must  confess  is 
hardly  to  be  wondered  at." 

"  And  was  n't  that  bad  enough  for  a  young 
fellow  with  something  under  two  thousand  a 


240  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

year  to  live  on,  but  you  must  needs  get  him 
as  good  as  engaged,  and  then  smash  up  the 
whole  thing  ?  How  do  you  know  the  boy  is 
in  trouble  ?  " 

Miss  Constance  silently  handed  back  the 
letter. 

"  I  've  read  it  once.  There  's  nothing 
written  in  sympathetic  ink,  I  suppose  !  " 

"  Suppose  you  read  it  again,  with  sympa 
thetic  eyes,  Ben." 

Ben  took  the  sheet  once  more  and  did  as 
he  was  bid.  When  he  got  through  he  cleared 
his  throat  and  blew  his  nose. 

"  Well  ?  "  said  his  sister. 

"  Well !  "  repeated  the  lawyer,  unwill 
ingly  ;  "  of  course  I  see  what  you  mean,  now 
that  you  Ve  put  it  into  my  head ;  but  I  defy 
any  third  person  to  see  it.  The  boy  's  been 
sitting  up  nights,  and  worrying  over  that 
sick  chap.  Great  good  his  holiday  will  do 
him  at  this  rate !  It 's  time  he  came  back 
to  us.  Write  to  him,  to-day,  Connie,  and 
tell  him  so.  He  '11  be  better  off  painting 
old  Victory  than  dancing  after  a  girl  that 's 
too  big  a  fool  to  appreciate  him." 

Miss  Constance  sighed.  "  The  girl  is  no 
fool,  Ben ;  there  has  been  some  misunder 
standing,  I  am  sure.  How  I  wish  I  could 
set  it  right !  " 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  241 

"  What 's  the  use  of  wanting  to  set  things 
right  before  you  know  what  set  them  wrong  ? 
You  're  a  regular  woman,  Connie  !  May  be 
Miss  What  's-her-name  wants  somebody  with 
more  money  and  less  brain." 

"  Ah,  Ben  !  if  you  had  only  done  as  I 
wanted  you  to,  and  had  told  Conrad  "  — 

"  Fiddle-de-dee,  child  !  would  you  have  me 
throw  out  a  bait  to  the  fortune  -  hunters  ? 
No,  no ;  the  boy  has  better  gold  in  his  head 
and  heart  than  we  can  ever  put  into  his 
pocket.  Time  enough  to  pile  on  the  spurious 
when  some  level-headed  girl  has  found  the 
true.  Don't  worry,  Connie,"  he  added, 
kindly ;  "  I  'm  as  anxious  to  see  the  boy  hap 
pily  settled  as  you  are,  only  I  want  him  to 
find  his  wife  while  he  's  poor.  He  '11  be  a 
dar —  he  '11  be  a  deal  more  likely  to  find  the 
right  one.  We  can  pitch  in  and  make  mat 
rimony  easy  afterwards." 

Miss  Constance  nodded  approvingly,  but 
the  nod  was  followed  up  closely  by  another 
sigh.  Evidently,  being  a  "  regular  woman," 
she  could  not  so  easily  get  over  the  feminine 
yearning  to  "  set  it  right." 

"  Get  him  here,  get  him  here  !  "  reiterated 
her  brother,  coming  round  for  a  good-by  kiss 
before  leaving  the  house.  "  You  '11  fathom 

16 


242  IlIGH-LIGUTS. 

it,  and  set  it  right,  too,  if  anybody  can,  but 
you  must  get  him  here  first." 

So  when  she  had  watched  the  roans  off, 
down  the  avenue,  Miss  Constance  seated 
herself  at  her  secretary,  and  wrote  as  fol 
lows  :  — 

MY  DEAR  BOY,  —  Ben  and  I  are  very 
sorry  that  your  pleasant  summer  is  having 
so  sad  an  ending.  Perhaps,  however,  mat 
ters  will  result  more  happily  than  you  fear. 
Do  not  be  too  ready  to  renounce  all  hope. 
There  may  be  some  feature  of  the  case  which 
you  do  not  as  yet  fully  understand.  Trust 
you  have  a  good  doctor.  Of  course,  under 
the  circumstances,  we  would  not  even  wish 
to  hurry  you  from  Ockley  until  all  is  once 
more  as  it  should  be  ;  but  September  is  close 
at  hand,  and  your  old  room  is  always  ready 
and  waiting.  We  will  hope  for  good  news 
soon,  and  a  blithe  home-coming  ;  but,  merry 
or  sad,  remember  that  this  is  home  and  that 
a  warm  welcome  awaits  you. 

Always  your  loving  friend, 

CONSTANCE  M.  THACHER. 

"  There !  "  said  Miss  Constance,  laying 
down  her  pen  with  a  deep  breath  of  relief, 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  243 

"  I  mean  two  things,  and  he  will  read  two 
meanings,  but  I  flatter  myself  he  won't  sus 
pect  they  were  put  there  on  purpose  !  " 

Could  the  good  lady  have  been  a  "  fly  on 
the  wall  "  when  her  doubly -worded  note  was 
received  and  read,  she  would  have  experi 
enced  a  sinking  of  heart  in  both  directions 
toward  which  its  sentences  were  aimed. 

Conrad  was  sitting  at  Cy's  bedside  while 
Janet  snatched  the  brief  sleep  rendered  in 
dispensable  by  the  night-watches  which  had 
been  going  on  for  more  than  two  weeks  now, 
and  which  she  resolutely  insisted  upon  shar 
ing.  They  did  not  allow  her  to  do  much 
through  the  day,  however.  Either  Eobin  or 
Conrad  was  always  on  hand,  and  sometimes, 
but  this  rarely,  they  were  both  there  at 
once.  At  such  times  their  outward  relations 
appeared  to  others  unchanged ;  but  inwardly 
each  felt  the  alteration,  and  each  interpreted 
it  in  a  different  way. 

Terry  had  walked  down  once  since  the 
accident,  but  his  visit  excited  Cy  beyond 
what  was  desirable,  and  he  never  came 
again. 

Terry  was  rather  put  out  by  what  he  con 
sidered  the  "  unnecessary  fuss  "  made  over 
the  sick  boy.  "  If  Faulkner  saw  fit  to  make 


244  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

a  fool  of  himself  over  a  thing  like  that,  let 
him !  he,  Terry,  saw  no  adequate  reason  for 
such  supreme  devotion.  The  fellow  brought 
it  upon  himself,  and  it  did  n't  amount  to 
anything  anyhow.  At  this  rate  even  old 
Crabbe  would  have  proved  more  lively  than 
anything  he  was  likely  to  get  in  Ockley." 
So  Robin  went  and  came  alone  (went  and 
stayed  usually,  now,  for  Cy  grew  no  better, 
but  rather  lost  ground,  from  day  to  day,  as 
the  unwonted  confinement  wore  his  strength 
away  ;  and  Dr.  Farnham  had  begun  to  look 
thoughtful  and  say  little),  and  the  breach  be 
tween  her  and  Conrad  widened  and  widened. 
How  often  she  had  thought,  with  contempt, 
of  the  book  -  heroines  who  allowed  small 
misunderstandings  to  swell,  and  lengthen  to 
hundreds  of  pages  of  misery,  when  one 
bravely  spoken  word  would  have  set  all 
straight  again  —  and  spoiled  the  story  !  How 
firmly  resolved  she  had  been  that  no  such 
silly  weakness  should  ever  cast  a  shadow 
over  her  own  life-pages !  yet  here  she  was, 
after  all,  in  the  clutches  of  a  like  trouble, 
against  which  she  was  powerless.  It  makes 
such  a  difference  whether  one  is  an  actor  in 
the  play  or  merely  a  looker-on  !  Could  she 
rush  up  to  Conrad  Faulkner  and  say,  "  You 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  245 

think  I  am  in  love  with  Terry,  but  I  am 
not?  "  How  could  she  be  sure  that  he  did 
think  so  ?  His  bearing  toward  her  was, 
to  all  outward  seeming-,  the  same  as  ever; 
she  alone  could  feel  that  the  friendship  had 
stopped  growing.  Besides,  what  time  was 
this  for  dwelling  upon  her  own  affairs  when 
they  were  all  so  worried  over  Cy  ?  If  any 
thing  beyond  the  sick-bed  still  troubled  Con 
rad  he  never  showed  it  now.  His  every 
thought  and  care  were  for  the  patient,  ap 
parently.  Perhaps  he  had  ceased  to  care. 
(She  did  not  realize  how  successful  her  own 
efforts  for  concealment  were  daily  proving.) 
If  only  he  would  say  something,  do  some 
thing,  ask  some  question  which  should  give 
her  the  opportunity  she  wanted  !  But  no, 
though  he  was  kind  and  polite  as  ever,  she 
felt  that  he  held  himself  aloof ;  and  when, 
this  afternoon,  he  laid  down  his  letter  as 
she  appeared  in  the  doorway,  and  treading 
noiselessly  with  slippered  feet,  crossed  the 
floor  to  give  her  a  chair  and  relieve  her  of 
the  basket  which  she  carried,  she  felt  the 
walls  of  misunderstanding  close  in  upon  her 
so  unbearably  that  she  well-nigh  resolved  to 
dash  them  down  with  one  desperate  effort, 
as  Samson  did  the  pillars  of  the  house,  even 


246  HIGII-LIGUTS. 

though,  like  him,  she  should  be  overwhelmed, 
with  all  her  future,  in  the  ruins. 

But  Conrad  gave  her  no  opportunity. 
He  came  back  presently  from  the  well, 
whither  he  had  gone  for  fresh  water,  and, 
setting  the  pitcher  down  on  the  table  by  the 
bed,  beckoned  her  to  the  door. 

"  I  see  the  doctor's  chaise  at  his  gate,"  he 
said  as  she  joined  him,  "  and  think  I  will 
just  step  over  and  ask  him  to  call  before  he 
starts  off  again.  Cy  seems  to  me  not  to  be 
getting  on  as  he  should.  He  has  a  good 
deal  of  fever  this  afternoon,  and  at  times 
is  not  quite  clear-headed." 

Robin  tried  to  speak,  but  her  heart  was 
too  full  and^the  words  choked  her.  He  saw 
her  trouble,  but  ascribed  it  all  to  anxiety 
for  Cy. 

"  You  must  not  worry,"  he  said  kindly  ; 
"  perhaps  it  is  only  a  notion  of  mine  ;  but  I 
think  it  will  be  as  well  to  have  Dr.  Farn- 
ham's  opinion ;  he  has  not  been  in  since 
morning." 

She  bent  her  head,  without  speaking,  and 
went  back  into  the  room.  Conrad  hurried 
away.  Cy  was  awake  when  he  returned 
with  the  doctor,  but  his  eyes  looked  heavy 
and  blood  -  shotten,  and  there  was  a  deep 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  247 

crimson  flush  in  his  cheeks.  A  skillful 
physician's  face  might  as  well  be  a  blank 
wall  for  all  the  expression  that  is  allowed 
to  come  into  it  when  examining  a  patient. 
Dr.  Farnham  was  a  skillful  physician ;  and 
yet,  though  he  went  about  his  business  with 
cool  carefulness,  gave  his  directions  quietly 
as  usual,  and  had  a  gay  word  for  her  at 
parting,  Robin  was  sure  he  felt  more 
anxiety  about  Cy  than  he  admitted.  She 
had  seen  that  inscrutable  face  of  his  beside 
a  good  many  sick-beds,  and  had  learned  to 
penetrate  its  professional  mask  beyond  the 
ability  of  most  people. 

Janet  had  wakened  from  her  nap  and 
come  in  while  he  was  there ;  and  to  her  he 
had  said,  as  if  it  were  quite  a  matter  of 
course  :  — 

"  You  had  better  consent  to  have  more 
help  nights  for  a  while,  Mrs.  Burns  ;  why  not 
get  Mrs.  Lake  in  to  spell  these  folks  a  bit  ? 
Cy  will  probably  be  more  or  less  restless, 
and  you  and  I  can't  step  as  briskly  as  we 
once  could.  Mr.  Faulkner  here  is  used  up. 
I  have  put  him  under  strict  orders  to  sleep." 
And  with  that,  he  walked  off  to  his  chaise, 
that  waited  for  him  in  the  street  below,  got 
in,  and  drove  away. 


248  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

Robin  stood  looking  after  the  familiar 
vehicle,  with  its  bob -tailed  horse,  till  it 
turned  a  corner  out  of  sight ;  and  then  con 
tinued  to  gaze  at  the  spot  where  it  had  been, 
until  roused  by  what  Conrad  was  saying 
about  getting  Mrs.  Lake  to  come  in,  as  the 
doctor  had  advised.  Janet  was  evidently 
rather  averse  to  the  arrangement. 

"  I  shall  stay  with  Janet  to-night,  Mr. 
Faulkner,"  said  the  girl,  coming  forward 
and  laying  her  hand  on  her  old  nurse's 
arm ;  "  she  would  rather  have  me  than  any 
one  else,  and  I  have  done  no  night-work  so 
far,  while  you  have  been  getting  tired  out. 
It  is  my  turn  now.  I  told  them  at  home 
that  I  should  not  be  back  till  morning." 

She  stepped  to  the  west  window  and 
threw  open  the  blinds,  which  had  been 
closed  all  day.  The  cool,  sweet  air  wan 
dered  in  refreshingly,  and  through  the  green 
foliage  without  shone  glimpses  of  a  golden 
and  rose  -  colored  sunset.  Cy  turned  his 
tired  eyes  toward  the  distant  brightness, 
and  stopped  for  a  moment  his  restless 
movements.  Across  the  street,  from  the 
hotel,  came  the  sound  of  the  big  bell  accom 
panied  by  a  clatter  of  dishes  and  the  smell 
of  hot  bread.  Conrad,  seeing  that  he  was 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  249 

no  longer  needed,  went  over  presently  to  his 
tea  and  left  the  two  women  sitting  in  the 
gathering  twilight  together. 

Cy  tossed  and  turned  all  night  long,  and 
Janet  was  thankful  enough  for  Robin's  help 
and  company.  The  sick  boy,  who  had  al 
ways  in  health  been  so  ready  to  come  and 
go  at  her  bidding,  now  appeared  to  find  her 
presence  more  soothing,  and  her  soft  touch 
more  grateful,  than  any  other.  As  the  fever 
increased,  and  rendered  his  poor  brain  more 
misty  than  ever,  he  failed  to  recognize  his 
grandmother  when  she  came  to  his  side 
with  water  or  medicine,  and  would  call  for 
"  Miss  Robin  "  to  come  and  send  her  away. 

Over  and  over  he  rehearsed  the  scene  in 
the  woods  at  Porter's  Pond ;  showing  such 
a  nervous  dread  of  Terry  and  his  revolver 
that  Robin  almost  began  to  hate  her  cousin 
for  working  such  suffering  and  terror  in  the 
poor  fellow's  life  and  mind.  Towards  morn 
ing  he  fell,  at  last,  into  an  uneasy  doze. 
Janet  had  lain  down  on  the  wooden  settle, 
for  a  few  minutes'  rest,  and  was  also  asleep. 
Robin  moved  quietly  to  the  window,  where 
the  early  light  was  beginning  to  come  in, 
and  drew  the  blinds,  left  open  for  freer  air, 
softly  to.  As  she  did  so  she  caught  sight 


250  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

of  Conrad  passing  from  the  hotel  piazza  to 
the  stables.  Some  minutes  later  she  heard 
the  swish  of  wet  grass,  and  his  step  coming 
up  to  the  door.  She  opened  it. 

"  Miss  Cary,"  he  said,  lowering  his  voice 
(he  never  called  her  "  Miss  Robin  "  now), 
"  I  am  rested  now  and  you  are  tired.  Qne 
of  the  hostlers  will  be  over  directly  to  drive 
you  up  home.  You  will  feel  the  need  of  a 
hot  breakfast  and  sound  sleep  such  as  can 
only  be  had  there.  I  shall  stay  with  Cy  for 
the  present." 

She  did  not  argue  the  matter  with  him  as 
she  would  have  done  a  week  before. 

She  put  on  her  hat  and  shawl  in  silence, 
and  let  him  put  her  into  the  buggy,  when  it 
came,  also  in  silence.  But  she  would  not 
drive  off  so  ;  he  had  himself  put  a  stop  to  the 
old,  happy  friendliness  which  he  had  himself 
been  first  to  institute  ;  but  at  least  there 
should  be  no  noticeable  change  on  her  part. 
She  held  out  her  hand,  as  he  stood  by  the 
step,  and  he  took  it  for  a  moment  in  his. 
Their  eyes  met  in  a  brief  look,  and  then  the 
horse  started  off,  and  he  was  left  alone,  in 
the  village  street,  with  the  touch  of  her  hand 
yet  warm  in  his,  and  the  memory  of  her  half 
questioning,  half  reproachful  look  haunting 
him  in  spite  of  himself. 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  251 

What  did  it  mean?  Was  she  hurt  at  the 
new  state  of  things  ?  Had  Terry  reckoned 
without  his  host?  Might  it  be  that  she  was 
not  in  love  with  her  cousin,  after  all  ?  For 
a  moment  these  questions  flashed  through  his 
mind,  and  set  his  heart  to  beating  quickly. 
Then  Terry's  words  about  his  uncle  came 
back  to  him,  and  all  these  swiftly  raised 
hopes  fell  to  the  ground.  It  was  a  recognized 
fact  in  the  family.  There  could  be  no  mis 
take.  The  girl  was  tired  out,  and  probably 
not  conscious  of  her  own  expression.  His 
summer  had  been  a  failure,  but  it  was  not 
her  fault ;  she  had  simply  treated  him  as  she 
would  have  treated  any  friend  of  her  uncle's 
and  Terry's,  and  he  had  made  an  egregious 
fool  of  himself  —  that  was  all.  He  went 
back  into  the  house  and  seated  himself  in 
the  chair  by  the  bed,  where  Robin  had  been 
a  few  moments  before. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 


"  I  thought  that  this  could  scarcely  be, 
Yet  has  it  come  to  pass  ; 
Sweet,  sweet  love  was, 
How  bitter,  bitter  grown  to  me." 

CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI. 


"  Miss  GARY,  Terry  is  at  the  hotel,  and 
would  like  to  speak  with  you  a  moment." 

Conrad  delivered  this  message  in  a  whis 
per,  and  held  back  the  net  door  that  Robin 
might  pass  out.  They  always  spoke  in 
whispers  now,  for  Cy  was  so  weak  that  even 
the  ordinary  tones  of  a  friend's  voice  seemed 
to  disturb  him.  He  lay,  for  the  most  part, 
with  closed  eyes  ;  only  opening  them,  at  first 
eagerly,  of  late  languidly,  when  the  barrier- 
blinds  were  thrown  open,  morning  and  even 
ing,  and  his  gaze  was  free  to  wander  away 
over  the  well-beloved  woods  and  meadows 
without. 

Robin's  face  was  white,  and  her  eyes  heavy 
with  watching  and  anxiety.  She  crossed  the 
village  street  with  a  step  very  different  from 
that  of  even  a  few  days  previous.  Conrad's 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  253 

eyes  followed  her  with  a  yearning  pain  in 
them.  He  would  so  gladly  have  shield*  her 
from  this  trouble  that  was  wearing  hel  out, 
if  he  could !  Yet  he  never  sounded  the  trou 
ble  to  half  its  real  depth.  How  should  he? 
He  had,  for  her  sake,  put  himself  to  the  use 
less  torture  of  a  few,  apparently  casual,  words 
with  the  parson  since  that  morning  when  she 
had  looked  at  him  so  strangely,  and  the  par 
son  had  fully  borne  out  Terry's  assertion  by 
his  easy  taking  for  granted  of  family  plans. 
Conrad  could  do  no  more ;  he  had  laid  that 
ghost  of  a  glance  ;  that  was  all  he  had  gained. 
Somehow  it  never  occurred  to  him  that  the 
parson's  taking  for  granted  might  be  a  little 
too  easy. 

In  the  bare  hotel  parlor,  darkened  and 
close  with  its  shut  windows,  Terry  stood 
waiting.  He  had  not  seen  his  cousin  for 
several  days.  He  came  forward  eagerly  to 
meet  her,  and  looked  earnestly  into  her  face. 

"  Robin,"  he  said,  "  you  are  killing  your 
self  I  you  are  not  the  same  girl,  at  all,  that 
you  were  when  I  came  here,  three  weeks 
ago." 

"  No,"  she  answered  dreamily,  "  I  am  not 
the  same  girl  that  I  was  then." 

"  Robin,  don't  say  such  dreadful  things  !  " 


254  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

cried  Terry,  forgetting  that  he  hud  said  the 
same  himself.  Robin's  tone  made  the  words 
sound  differently,  somehow,  and  alarmed 
him.  "  You  will  grow  foolish  yourself  if  you 
hang  over  that  boy  day  and  night  so.  Come, 
you  have  manifested  your  affection  for  him 
quite  enough  ;  let  some  one  else  step  in  now, 
and  you  come  home  with  me.  Uncle  and  I 
want  you  ;  the  boy  is  all  right." 

Robin  lifted  her  eyes  to  his  face  half  won- 
deringly.  "Terry,"  she  said  slowly,  "the 
boy  is  dying.  Did  Uncle  Ike  not  tell  you  ?  " 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  Uncle  said  some 
thing  about  his  being  very  weak ;  but  of 
course  he  is  weak.  He  will  be  all  over  that 
presently.  Don't  get  rattled,  Robin." 

"  Terry,  can't  you  understand  ?  Cy  has 
never  got  on  as  he  should,  and  since  Mon 
day  he  has  failed  rapidly.  Now,  he  is  dy 
ing  ;  Dr.  Farnham  says  so." 

Robin  had  not  spoken  with  any  thoiight 
of  the  effect  her  words  might  produce,  but 
they  struck  home.  She  was  surprised  at  the 
change  that  came  over  the  young  man's  face. 
His  was  but  an  outer  crust  of  selfishness, 
after  ail.  Underneath,  waiting  only  the 
right  touch  to  develop  it,  lay  the  man's 
strong  heart  which  ever  beats  quick  response 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  255 

to  the  appeal  of  helplessness  and  suffering. 
Terry  had  really  felt  concerned  for  Cy,  but 
chose  not  to  show  it ;  to  cover  it  up,  indeed, 
with  an  extra  degree  of  careless  indifference. 
He  had  never  dreamed  but  that  the  fat 
boy  would  be  all  right  again  in  due  time, 
"  if  only  the  women  would  not  cosset  him  to 
death."  Now  he  could  blind  himself  to  the 
real  fact  no  longer,  and  back  to  his  mind 
came,  vividly  as  if  it  had  been  but  yester 
day,  the  scene  in  the  woods  at  Porter's  Pond. 
He  turned  away  and  leaned  against  the  man 
tel,  his  head  resting  on  his  folded  arms. 

Robin,  who  had  kept  aloof  in  the  old 
thoughtless,  self-satisfied  days,  drew  near 
him  now  and  laid  one  hand  on  his  shoulder. 

"  Poor  Terry  !  "  she  said  softly. 

"  Oh,  Robin,"  he  cried,  raising  his  head 
again  and  looking  her  full  in  the  face,  "  it 
was  not  my  fault !  You  don't  think  it  was 
my  fault,  do  you  ?  " 

"  No,  you  meant  no  harm  ;  you  were  only 
bent  upon  your  own  pleasure.  But,  oh, 
Terry !  I  do  believe  a  selfish  man  is  the 
cause  of  more  misery  in  this  world  than  even 
a  cruel  one,  sometimes." 

"  Am  I  a  selfish  man,  Robin  ?  " 

"  No,  you  are  only  a  boy.     A  thoughtless, 


256  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

careless  boy.  But  oh,  Terry !  "  she  cried, 
again,  "  never  let  it  grow  upon  3*011  or  you 
will  break  somebody's  heart  one  day." 

"  Xot  yours !  I  will  never  break  yours, 
Robin  !  "  he  exclaimed  eagerly,  all  uncon 
scious  how  thoroughly  he  had  done  his  best 
to  break  it  of  late.  "  Don't  you  know  that 
you  can  do  anything  with  me  ?  Don't  you 
know  that  you  are  the  only  girl  I  ever  cared 
a  straw  for  ?  I  have  loved  you  all  my  life,  I 
think.  What  a  happy  summer  we  might 
have  had  together,  and  to  think  of  its  being 
all  upset !  But  we  have  September  yet ; 
we  will  make  up  for  what  is  lost,  won't 
we?"  And,  characteristically  forgetting  all 
his  trouble  of  the  moment  before,  he  took 
the  hand  which  had  lain  upon  his  shoulder, 
gently,  in  his  own. 

The  girl  drew  it  swiftly  back,  and  herself 
up  to  her  full  queenly  height. 

"  Cousin  Terry,  this  is  no  time  for  idle 
words ;  but  since  you  have  spoken  as  you 
have  I  must  needs  answer,  that  you  may 
never  speak  in  such  a  way  again !  " 

"  Never  !  What  can  you  possibly  mean, 
Robin  ?  Of  course  I  shall  speak.  Of  course 
you  must  know  that  I  shall.  A  man  can't 
keep  quiet  forever.  I  have  waited  two  years 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  257 

to  please  Uncle  Ike,  but  now  I  am  free  to 
please  myself." 

"  You  are  too  free,  by  far,  to  please  me  I 
Terry,  I  do  not  want  to  get  angry  to-day, 
even  with  you,  but  you  make  it  very  hard 
for  me  to  help  it.  Once  for  all,"  she  added, 
proudly,  "  if  you  have  ever  deceived  your 
self,  or  —  or  any  one  else,  with  the  idea  that 
I  care  for  you  in  any  way  save  as  a  cousin, 
let  the  deception  be  done  away  with  at  once, 
—  at  once  !  for  I  do  not,  and  never  can. 
You  know  I  never  can." 

"  I  don't  know  anything  of  the  sort !  Why 
can't  you  ?  Why  can't  you  ?  "  he  repeated, 
when  she*did  not  answer. 

"  Because  —  because  it  is  impossible,  that 
is  all."  Her  pale  face  grew  a  shade  paler, 
and  the  firm  line  of  the  lips  deepened. 

"  It  is  not  impossible,  it  cannot  be  im 
possible  !  unless  "  —  and  he  seized  her  hand 
again,  but  not  so  gently  this  time,  and  held 
it  in  a  tight  grip. 

"  Let  me  go,  Terry ;  I  am  needed.  I 
must  go  back  to  Cy." 

"  Wait !  Robin,  tell  me,  do  you  — ,  by 
Jove  !  it 's  tough  to  have  to  ask  the  ques 
tion  for  another  fellow  —  do  you  care  for 
any  one  else  ?  " 


258  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

"  Let  me  go,  Terry  !  "  she  cried,  blushing 
furiously  now  over  all  her  paleness,  "  you 
have  no  right  to  ask  such  a  question  ;  how 
dare  you  ?  "  and  she  wrenched  her  hand  in 
dignantly  away,  and  flung  open  the  door 
which  he  had  closed  when  she  first  came  in. 

He  let  her  go  then,  and  stood  watching 
her  as  she  went  back,  much  faster  than  she 
had  come,  across  the  street  and  disappeared 
among  the  trees.  Then  he  strode  to  the  shed 
where  old  Nahum  and  the  chaise  were  in 
waiting,  sprang  in,  and  drove  off  homeward. 

"  She  did  not  deny  it !  "  he  said  to  him 
self,  bitterly,  paying  small  heed  to  his  horse's 
movements.  "  Of  course  it 's  Faulkner.  I 
did  not  think  he  would  cut  me  out  like  this. 
Pshaw  !  what  am  I  saying  ?  he  knew  noth 
ing  of  it,  how  should  he  ?  Con  is  not  that 
kind  of  fellow.  He  would  be  much  more 
likely  to  —  By  Jove  !  "  Terry  sat  bolt  up 
right  as  a  sudden  light  flashed  upon  past 
and  present.  '•  Was  that  what  he  was  gulp 
ing  down  under  his  hat  the  other  day  ?  Of 
course  he  loves  her.  How  could  he  help  it  ? 
and  yet  he  shook  hands  with  me  and  wished 
me  well.  Poor  old  Con  !  I  reckon  we  've 
upset  one  another's  apple-carts  about  alike, 
after  all.  No  we  have  n't,  though,"  he  added, 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  259 

tumbling  back  into  the  old  bitterness  and  the 
chaise  corner  both  at  once,  "  for  she  loves 
him.  He  does  n't  know  it  now,  but  he  will. 
It  won't  hurt  him  to  worry  awhile  ;  he  has  n't 
got  to  suffer  all  his  life,  as  1  have."  And 
the  poor  fellow  groaned,  in  honest  anguish, 
at  the  terrible  vista  of  empty  years  which 
he  was,  for  the  moment,  convinced  really  lay 
spread  before  him. 

Nahum,  unused  to  groans,  felt  himself 
called  upon  to  pause,  and  accordingly  came 
to  a  sudden  halt  right  where  he  stood,  which 
happened  to  be  half-way  down  a  short,  steep 
pitch,  thereby  bringing  his  grief  -  relaxed 
driver's  nose  into  sharp  communication  with 
the  dasher. 

There  could  have  been  no  more  effective 
counter-irritant  administered  ;  it  was  as  good 
as  a  whiff  of  ammonia.  Terry  picked  him 
self  up  in  a  hurry  and,  pocketing  his  misery 
for  a  more  convenient  opportunity,  pro 
ceeded  to  impel  the  old  horse  up-hill  at  the 
point  of  the  whiplash,  and  the  top  of  his 
climbing  speed ;  thereby  arousing  in  his 
equine  breast  a  mixture  of  amazement  and 
mild  indignation  which  expressed  itself  in 
frequent  shakes  of  his  wise  old  head,  and 
layings  back  of  his  long,  hairy  ears  ;  the 


260  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

while  his  fat,  respectable  sides  fairly  heaved 
and  creaked  with  the  unprecedented  exer 
tion. 

"  Don't  say  one  word,  Uncle  Ike !  "  ex 
claimed  Terry,  the  waters  of  Marah  closing 
over  him  again  as  his  uncle  came  out  to 
hear  the  latest  report  from  the  cottage  and 
glanced  with  astonishment  at  Nahum,  hot 
and  wheezy  and  turning  one  dumfoundered 
eye  upon  his  master  as  who  should  say,  "  Be 
hold  !  " 

"  Don't  say  one  word !  I  'm  as  wretched 
as  thunder,  and  have  been  taking  it  out  on 
the  horse,  that 's  all.  I  've  made  a  con 
founded  mess  of  everything ;  and  —  and 
Cy  's  dying,  they  tell  me  !  "  and  with  a  break 
in  his  voice  at  the  last  words,  the  poor  young 
fellow  sprang  away  upstairs  to  hide  his  sor 
row  and  disappointment  in  his  own  room. 

After  all,  in  order  to  have  much  of  the 
man  in  him  at  three  and  twenty,  a  boy  must 
have  considerable  of  the  baby,  too. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

"  Many  hours  dwindling  to  one, — 
One  hour  whose  die  is  cast, 
One  last  hour  gone." 

CHRISTINA  RossErrn. 

"  Miss  ROBIN,  will  ye  sing  me  some- 
thin'  ?  " 

Robin  was  beside  the  western  window, 
looking  out  into  the  sunset  with  absent  eyes. 
She  turned  from  her  own  thoughts  instantly, 
at  the  sick  boy's  call,  and  went  over  to  where 
he  lay. 

"  Indeed  I  will,  Cy.  Do  you  care  what  ?  " 

"  That  one  they  sing  in  church  sometimes, 
'baout  brooks  an'  sunshine  an'  things,  an'  the 
feller  that  could  n't  stop  more  'n  over  night." 

So  Robin  sang  the  old  hymn  while  Cy 
lay,  drinking  in  the  sweet  words  and  tones, 
with  closed  eyes  and  a  happy  face. 

"I'm  a  pilgrim,  and  I'm  a  stranger, 
I  can  tarry,  I  can  tarry  but  a  night. 
Do  not  detain  me,  for  I  am  going 
To  where  the  streamlets  are  ever  flowing." 

Conrad,  coming  over  at  that  moment  from 


262  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

his  tea,  withdrew  his  outstretched  hand  from 
the  tell-tale  latch,  and  sat  down  in  the 
shadow  without,  to  listen. 

"There  the  sunbeams  are  ever  shining, 
I  am  longing,  I  am  longing  for  the  sight  ! 
Within  a  country  unknown  and  dreanr, 
I  have  been  wandering  forlorn  and  weary." 

"  Poor  Cy  !  "  thought  the  unseen  listener, 
while  the  tender  voice  sang  through  the  re 
frain,  "  you  will  be  neither  forlorn  nor  weary 
long,  —  your  wanderings  are  almost  over 
now." 

"  Of  that  country  to  which  I  'm  going 
My  Redeemer,  my  Redeemer  is  the  light  ! 
There  is  no  sorrow,  nor  any  sighing, 
Nor  any  sickness,  nor  any  dying. 
I'm  a  pilgrim,  and  I  'm  a  stranger  ; 
I  can  tarry,  I  can  tarry,  but  a  night.  " 

The  girl's  tones  were  inexpressibly  sweet 
and  comforting  as  she  sang  the  last  lines,  but 
they  did  not  tremble,  nor  falter.  Robin  had 
got  beyond  trembling  ;  her  self-command  was 
something  wonderful.  Cy's  voice  broke  the 
silence  when  she  ceased. 

"  Miss  Robin,  is  Mr.  Jacks'n  anywheres 
raound  naow  ?  "  Terry's  name  had  never 
passed  his  lips  before,  in  conscious  moments, 
since  the  accident. 

"  Yes,  Cy.     Would  you  like  to  see  him  ?  " 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  263 

The  answer  to  this  was  inaudible,  but  ap 
parently  affirmative,  for  Robin  presently 
came  to  the  door  and  opened  it.  Certainly 
she  had  known  nothing  of  Conrad's  proxim 
ity,  until  he  rose  from  the  low  seat  by  the 
door,  and  stood  before  her ;  yet  she  did  not 
hesitate,  nor  seem  surprised  at  seeing  him 
there,  but  quietly  desired  him  to  send  some 
one  for  Terry,  and  went  back,  herself,  into 
the  house.  When  he  returned  from  doing 
her  bidding  she  was  singing  again. 

An  hour  went  by.  The  moon  was  like 
transparent  silver  over  the  tops  of  the  dark 
pines.  One  by  one  the  stars  pierced  through 
the  unclouded  dome  above  like  points  of 
golden  nails  driven  by  an  unseen  hand.  The 
shadows  deepened  and  darkened  as  the  heav 
enly  brightness  waxed  —  deepened  and  dark 
ened  in  the  sick-room  as  well,  while  the  min 
utes  winged  their  unremitting  flight  toward 
the  supreme  instant  that  should  be,  for  him 
who  lay  and  waited  there,  the  swallowing  up 
of  every  earthly  shadow  in  the  fullness  of 
eternal  light  and  joy. 

Wheels  rolled  up  the  street,  and  stopped. 
Robin  thought  it  would  be  Terry,  but  it  was 
not.  It  was  Dr.  Farnham.  He  looked  at 
Cy,  felt  his  pulse,  and  then,  thrusting  one 


264  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

hand  under  the  blanket,  felt  the  extremities 
also.  Then  he  walked  to  the  window  where 
Robin  had  been  sitting,  and  looked  out  into 
the  moonlight  till  Conrad,  who  had  come 
into  the  room  with  him,  began  to  think  he 
would  never  speak.  When  he  did,  it  was 
only  to  utter  some  remark  upon  the  beauty  of 
the  night.  Then  he  came  back  to  his  patient. 

"  Good  night,  Cy.  I  shall  be  in  again  in 
the  morning." 

The  heavy  lids  lifted,  and  Cy  smiled 
straight  into  the  doctor's  face.  A  smile  of 
such  intelligence,  so  full  of  a  strange,  un 
earthly  peace,  that  the  tender-hearted  physi 
cian  could  not  meet  it.  He  was  turning  ab 
ruptly  away  when  the  boy  held  out  his  hand. 

"  Good-by,  doctor  ;  ye  've  been  dreadful 
good  ter  me." 

The  old  man  grasped  the  weak,  white  fin 
gers  almost  convulsively  in  his  own  warm, 
muscular  hand,  and  fairly  broke  down  into  a 
sudden  sob.  Then  he  hurried  away.  "  Poor 
fellow  !  "  he  said  to  Conrad  on  the  doorstep, 
"  he  '11  not  live  the  night  out.  I  've  an  ur 
gent  case  five  miles  off,  or  I  should  stay  to 
see  him  through.  He  '11  do  without  me 
though ;  he  won't  suffer,  probably.  Poor  Cy, 
poor  Cy !  if  he 's  a  fool.  I  begin  to  think 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  265 

the  rest  of  us  are  all  knaves  !  "  and  the  kind 
doctor  wrung  Conrad's  hand  hard,  and  drove 
off  to  care  for  the  little  new  life  that  was 
nearing  its  beginning,  while  this  one  was 
drawing  to  an  end. 

As  Conrad  turned  to  go  in  again,  a  hand 
was  laid  upon  him  from  behind.  It  was  Ter 
ry's.  He  was  very  pale,  and  his  lips  were 
tightly  compressed. 

"  Poor  fellow  !  "  said  his  friend,  "  I  am 
sorry  for  you,  but  we  could  not  help  it ; 
he  asked  for  you." 

"  Of  course  ;  you  did  quite  right.  Only 
—  I  'd  rather  be  shot  myself  than  face  him. 
Shall  I  go  in  now?" 

The  sound  of  his  voice  brought  Robin  to 
the  door,  and  she  remained  outside  while  her 
cousin  went  in  alone.  Within  the  little  room 
it  was  dusky.  Terry,  coming  from  the  light 
without,  could  see  nothing  at  first. 

"  Mister  Jacks'n  —  is  that  you  ?  " 

The  feeble  voice  guided  Terry's  feet  to 
where  its  owner  lay. 

"  Oh,  Cy !  "  was  all  the  young  man  could 
say,  while  the  determined  lips  began,  in  spite 
of  him,  to  tremble. 

"  Don't  feel  bad  !  I  did  n't  send  for  ye  ter 
bother  ye.  I  only  thought  I  'd  kind  er  like  ter 


266  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

say  good-by,  an'  then  —  I  wanted  ter  ask 
a  favor  of  ye." 

"  I  never  meant  to  hurt  you,  Cy." 

"  I  know  ye  did  n't  ;  ?t  was  my  fault,  not 
yourn.  I  had  n't  no  bisness  ter  grab  the 
pistil  so,  but  ye  see  —  that  squir'l  was  an 
old  friend  o'  mine,  an'  I  never  had  many 
friends  like  smart  folks,  —  so  I  could  n't 
bear  ter  see  him  shot  at.  Likely  he  won't 
miss  me  so  much  as  I  should  him." 

Terry  was  beyond  speech  by  this  time. 
He  could  only  register  an  inward  vow  that 
no  squirrel  should  ever  come  to  grief  at  his 
hands  again.  There  fell  a  silence. 

"  Mister  Jacks'n." 

Terry  made  a  tremendous  effort.  "  Yes, 
Cy,  I  am  here." 

"  Ye  know  I  had  a  favor  ter  ask  ye." 

"  Ask  away,  Cy.  I  '11  do  it,  if  it  half 
kills  me  ! " 

The  fat  boy  scrutinized  his  face  for  a  mo 
ment  with  eyes  that,  from  being  always 
something  veiled  in  expression,  had  come, 
of  late,  to  have  in  them  a  look  of  more  than 
earthly  clearness. 

"Ye  wouldn't  ha' done  it  —  oncet,"  he 
said  slowly,  "  but  now,  I  kinder  think  ye 
will." 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  267 

"What  is  it,  Cy?" 

"  Mister  Forkner  an'  Miss  Robin  —  I 
can't  say  it  good,  but  I  guess  ye  know  what 
I  mean." 

"  Go  on." 

"  There  's  somethin'  gone  wrong  atween 
'em.  I  can  see  it,  ef  I  be  a  fool,  an'  I 
thought,  mebbe  —  you  could  set  it  right  ef 
ye  wanted  ter." 

A  sudden  frown  darkened  the  young 
man's  brow,  and  his  foot  beat  impatiently 
against  the  floor.  Cy  gazed  up  at  him  wist 
fully. 

"  He  said  ye  was  his  friend.  Miss  Robin 
alwers  said  folks  oughter  be  willin'  ter  do 
anythin'  fer  their  friends." 

No  answer.  Cy's  auditor  had  hitched 
himself  half  round  in  his  chair,  and  was 
drumming  on  the  back  of  it  with  his  fingers. 
Doubtless  he  would  have  liked  to  bolt,  but 
invisible  bands  held  him  fast.  "  Greater 
love  hath  no  man  than  this,  that  a  man  lay 
down  his  life  for  his  friend."  The  divine 
declaration,  called  back  to  him  by  means  of 
dying  human  lips,  was  ringing  in  judgment 
through  heart  and  brain.  Much  as  he  loved 
his  cousin,  hard  as  his  trouble  was  to  bear, 
something  told  him,  even  then,  that  Con- 


268  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

rad's  love  was  the  truer,  and  nobler,  and 
more  deserving.  He  had  always  pleased 
himself  till  now ;  could  he  find  it  in  him  to 
so  far  rise  above  all  his  former  life  as  to  set 
himself  aside,  and,  with  his  own  hand,  as  it 
were,  make  the  way  clear  for  his  friend  ? 
Cy's  voice  broke  in  again. 

"  Ye  like  her,  don't  ye  ?  I  alwers  thought 
ye  liked  her  dreadful  well." 

"  I  always  thought  so  too,"  muttered 
Terry  to  himself,  "  but  I  'm  beginning  to 
think  I  must  have  liked  myself  a  darned 
sight  better  !  " 

"  I  can't  hear  ye  ;  did  ye  say  ye  'd  do 
it?"  asked  the  boy  eagerly,  though  his  voice 
was  fast  becoming  weaker. 

Poor  Terry !  he  sprang  from  his  chair 
and  sought  the  window,  as  the  doctor  had 
done.  There  was  a  mighty  warfare  waging 
within  him.  Love  for  Robin  and  innate 
selfishness  arrayed  themselves  over  against 
friendship  and  honor,  and  the  fight  was 
fierce.  Standing  there  in  the  evening  hush, 
broken  only  by  the  quick  breathing  of  the 
dying  boy,  while  the  moon  stole  gradually 
further  and  further  south  until  one  bright 
beam  fell  athwart  the  darkness  of  the  silent 
room,  the  young  man  fought,  in  a  brief  ten 
minutes,  the  decisive  battle  of  his  life. 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  269 

He  won  it.  Won  with  it  also  a  strength 
and  calmness  that  had  not  been  his  before. 
He  went  back  to  where  Cy  lay,  watching 
him  with  anxious  eyes,  and  bending  over 
the  low  bed  said,  quietly,  — 

"  So  far  as  it  lies  in  my  power,  Cy,  I  will 
do  what  you  ask." 

The  boy's  look  of  gratitude  was  good  to 
see. 

"  I  thought  ye  would,"  he  said. 

"  What  else  can  I  do  ?  " 

"  Nothin',  there  ain't  nothin'  else.  Only, 
don't  never  worry  'cause  I  —  did  n't  git 
well.  It 's  all  right,  I  guess." 

Another  silence.  Then  Cy  once  more 
held  out  his  hand. 

"  Good-by." 

But  Terry  could  not  say  good-by.  He 
could  only  hold  the  passive  hand  a  moment 
longer,  and  lay  it  gently  down,  and  go  away. 

"  One  moment,  Mr.  Faulkner,  if  you 
please  !  Janet  has  gone  to  Cy  ;  he  will  not 
miss  us  for  a  little.  I  wish  to  ask  you  a 
question." 

Robin  turned  from  watching  Terry,  as 
he  walked  quickly  away,  and  detained  Con 
rad  with  these  words.  Her  manner  was 


270  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

very  quiet,  and  unhurried.  This  was  no 
sudden  impulse,  it  was  the  outcome  of  a 
determination  slowly  taken,  and  therefore 
strong.  She  would  not  give  up  her  friend 
without  one  last  effort.  He  alone  could 
offer  an  explanation  of  the  state  of  things 
existing  between  them,  and  since  he  did 
not  do  so,  she  would  ask  it.  Then  at  least 
she  might  feel  that  no  false  pride  of  hers 
had  barred  the  way. 

"  Do  you  remember  a  promise  that  we 
made  one  Sunday,  soon  after  you  came  to 
Ockley  ?  " 

Conrad's  heart  bounded  —  and  stood  still ; 
but  his  reply,  after  a  moment,  came  firm 
and  low. 

"  Perfectly." 

"  Have  you  kept  it  ?  " 

"  Miss  Robin,"  with  the  old  memory  the 
old  name  came,  unawares,  to  his  lips,  "  it 
has  become  impossible  for  me  to  keep  that 
promise  ;  I  must  ask  you  to  release  me  from 
it." 

He  was  not  looking  at  her ;  but  far  away 
at  the  river,  shining  and  writhing  in  the 
moonlight  like  a  silver  serpent.  He  did 
not  see  the  look  of  intensest  pain  and  disap 
pointment  that  held  her  face  for  an  instant, 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  271 

whitening  it  to  the  very  lips.  When  at  last 
she  spoke,  the  chill  of  the  clear  September 
evening  was  in  her  still,  proud  voice. 

"  You  are  released,  Mr.  Faulkner.  Shall 
we  go  in  ?  " 

Nine  !  —  ten  !  —  eleven  !  —  twelve  ! 

The  hours  rang  slowly  out,  one  after  an 
other,  from  the  church  tower  close  by. 
They  were  the  only  sounds  that  broke  the 
stillness  of  that  long,  hard  night.  In  the 
feeble  light  of  the  little  night-lamp  sat  the 
three  watchers  —  silent. 

Cy's  eyes  were  closed,  his  breathing  quiet. 
They  thought  him  sleeping,  and  feared  to 
break  that  slumber  by  a  word. 

One  !  —  two  !  —  three  ! 

The  early  morning  air  grew  chill.  Robin 
stepped  lightly  across  the  floor,  and  fetching 
her  shawl  wrapped  it  carefully  about  the 
shoulders  of  her  old  nurse.  The  poor  wo 
man,  well-nigh  sick  herself  from  constant 
watching  and  grief,  lay  back,  half  dozing, 
in  her  chair  beside  her  grandson.  The 
other  two,  with  only  the  width  of  the  nar 
row  room  between  them  as  they  sat,  yet 
separated  in  truth  by  a  distance  greater 
than  miles  could  measure  —  greater  even 


272  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

than  that  viewless  space  which  death  itself 
interposes  between  loving  hearts  —  felt  no 
drowsiness,  felt  no  cold.  Their  thoughts, 
continually  passing  and  repassing,  wrapped 
them  in  numb  bitterness  as  in  a  mantle, 
which  the  hours,  as  they  sped  unheeded  by, 
but  gathered  the  more  closely,  fold  on  fold. 

Four ! 

How  loud  and  solemn  the  separate  strokes 
fell  upon  their  ears  !  Conrad  involuntarily 
shuddered ;  it  seemed  as  if  the  old  clock 
were  tolling  a  death-knell. 

There  came  another  sound  along  the  vil 
lage  street ;  faint  in  the  distance,  growing 
more  and  more  distinct  as  it  neared  and 
passed  the  house,  and  dying  gradually  away 
as  it  had  come.  The  sharp,  clicking  sound 
of  a  horse's  trotting  feet.  Dr.  Farnham  was 
coming  back  from  his  night's  work ;  he 
would  be  in  again  presently. 

The  slender,  clean-cut  sound  seemed  to 
rouse  the  dulled  sense  of  hearing  as  the 
broader,  accustomed  voice  of  the  bell  had 
failed  to  do.  Cy  stirred  a  little,  and  opened 
his  eyes. 

"  Gran'mer !  " 

The  old  lady  started  from  her  doze,  gave 
one  keen  glance  into  her  grandson's  face, 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  273 

and,  dropping  to  her  knees  beside  him, 
buried  her  gray  head  in  the  pillow. 

"  Mister  Forkner  —  Miss  Rob  " 

They  were  beside  him  in  an  instant.  One 
look  of  loving  gratitude  and  farewell  to 
Conrad,  then  he  turned  to  Robin.  He  tried 
to  speak,  but  life  and  strength  were  fast 
slipping  from  him,  and  the  words  were  in 
distinguishable.  The  rapidly  glazing  eyes 
looked  into  hers  the  supplication  he  could 
not  utter,  and,  translating  that  look  by  the 
power  of  her  own  loving  heart,  the  girl  bent 
gently  down  and  pressed  her  soft,  warm  lips 
upon  his  death-cold  forehead. 

For  one  brief  instant  the  boy's  face  was 
transfigured !  Then  the  glad  light  died, 
slowly,  from  his  eyes,  the  pale  lips  set  them 
selves  in  that  last,  loving  smile  ;  the  breath 
came  slowly,  —  slowly,  —  fluttered,  —  and 
was  gone !  And  something  which  seemed  to 
be  Cy,  yet  was  not,  lay  peaceful,  still,  upon 
the  little  bed,  while  the  sunrise  of  a  golden 
autumn  day  was  flushing  in  the  east. 

Cy  had  passed  out  from  under  the  shad 
ows,  forever,  into  the  glad  high -light  of 
Heaven's  eternal  joy. 

18 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

"  Oh  farewell !  we  now  must  part  forever; 
Sad  I  wander  far  from  thee.:1 

SONG. 

CY  died  on  Friday,  and  on  Sunday  they 
buried  him.  The  little  church  was  full  to 
overflowing,  for  the  fat  boy,  with  his  simple, 
unselfish  ways  and  quiet  life,  had  won  for 
himself,  even  among  those  who  had  laughed 
loudest  at  his  oddities,  more  friends  than  he 
had  ever  dreamed  of.  If  there  were  some, 
among  the  people  gathered  there,  who  came 
merely  from  motives  of  curiosity,  it  mattered 
little  ;  for  even  they  read  something,  in  the 
still  sweetness  of  that  peaceful  face,  which 
touched  a  very  tender  chord,  and  made  them 
too,  for  the  moment,  friends. 

But  Cy  could  not  be  called  "the  fat  boy" 
any  longer.  His  sickness  had  been  so  far 
kind  that  it  had  pruned  away  much  of  the 
outward,  physical  deformity  which  had  hid 
den  his  real  self  like  a  mask ;  and  there  was 
revealed  in  death  something  of  the  delicate 
outline  of  face  and  feature  that  he  came  into 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  275 

the  world  with.  The  child  made  manifest 
again  after  twenty  years  of  blighted,  and 
overgrown,  and,  by  the  world's  standard, 
useless  existence.  And  yet,  there  was  more 
also.  The  child  had  become  a  man. 

CYRUS   BURNS. 

Aged  25  years. 

Coffin -plates  do  not  lie.  The  clear-cut 
silver  lettering  was  there  to  speak  to-day, 
with  silent  authority  the  fact  that,  unper- 
ceived  and  unrecognized,  a  man  had  been 
growing  up  among  them,  all  these  years, 
where  careless  eyes  had  descried  but  an  over 
grown,  half-witted  boy.  "  The  eyes  of  the 
Lord  run  to  and  fro  throughout  the  whole 
earth,  to  show  himself  strong  in  the  behalf 
of  them  whose  heart  is  perfect  toward  Him." 
Through  the  darkness,  as  of  old,  God's 
hand  had  been  at  work  all  these  years  creat 
ing  a  soul  for  his  kingdom.  That  kingdom 
which,  however  great,  however  wise,  no  man 
can  ever  hope  to  enter  except  he  first  lay 
aside  all  mere  outward  seeming  and  become 
"  as  a  little  child." 

Terry  had  begged,  as  the  only  thing  he 
could  do,  to  be  allowed  to  provide  the  flow 
ers  ;  and  the  simple  casket  was  fairly  hidden 
from  view  beneath  roses,  and  ferns,  and 


276  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

heliotropes,  and  fair,  white,  stainless  lilies. 
Their  rich  fragrance  rose  up,  like  incense, 
through  the  stillness,  and  mingled  itself 
with  the  sweet  organ  notes  that  floated 
down  to  meet  it ;  the  bright  September  sun 
shine  and  the  soft  September  air  flowed  in, 
through  open  windows,  unreproved ;  late 
lingering  birds  that  had  sung  their  exultant 
love-songs  for  Cy's  listening  ear  in  June, 
sang,  all  unconsciously,  his  requiem  now ; 
while  a  great  golden  butterfly,  attracted  by 
the  bloom  and  perfume,  fluttered  in  over 
the  heads  of  those  assembled  there,  and 
hovered,  like  a  radiant,  risen  soul  above  the 
delicate  blossoms  and  the  sleeping  form 
they  covered. 

"  The  wisdom  of  this  world  is  foolishness 
with  God." 

People  said  "  the  parson  fair  outdid  him 
self  "  in  the  solemn,  touching,  beautiful  dis 
course  he  delivered  from  these  wonderful 
words.  He  himself,  looking  down  from  his 
pulpit  upon  the  quiet  face  below,  remember 
ing  words  and  smiles  that  had  moved  those 
still  lips,  from  time  to  time,  through  weeks 
of  suffering  bravely  borne,  felt  to  the  very 
bottom  of  his  heart,  that  simple  Cy  had  out 
done  them  all. 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  277 

Hard  as  that  hour  was  for  all  in  the  little 
band  of  friends  that  had  been  nearest  to  the 
boy :  for  his  grandmother,  sitting  there  alone 
in  her  old  age ;  for  Conrad,  with  his  bright, 
brief  summer-time  bohind  him,  his  darkened 
life  before  ;  for  Robin,  suffering  in  outward 
silence,  pouring  forth  her  heart's  trouble 
only  in  the  quivering,  throbbing  organ-tones 
that  had  been  born  of  like  anguish  centuries 
before  her  day  ;  it  was  hardest,  by  far,  for 
Terry.  His  had  been  the  hand  to  weave  all 
this  intricacy  of  grief,  and  pain,  and  misun 
derstanding  into  the  bright,  happy  web  of 
his  friends'  living;  his  the  deed  and  word 
that  had  transformed  their  cloudless  sunshine 
into  the  shadow  of  death  itself.  And  to 
undo  the  mischief  in  such  incomplete  wise 
as  was  left  possible  to  him,  he  must  rend 
asunder  forever  the  airy  fabric  of  his  own 
hopes,  which,  for  two  long  years,  he  had 
been  so  blithely  fashioning ;  must  lay  upon 
his  life-canvas,  side  by  side  with  the  bright 
est  vision  of  his  three-and-twenty  years,  the 
deep,  dark  shadows  of  repentance  and  re 
nunciation. 

It  was  agreed,  on  all  sides,  that  if  the 
parson  had  never  preached,  Miss  Robin  had 
never  played,  "anything  like  so feelin'  afore." 


278  UIGH-LIGHTS. 

It  is  absurd  for  people  to  assert  that  any 
given  musical  composition  has  its  own  in 
variable  tale  to  tell.  There  were  at  least 
two  hearts  in  the  little  church  that  day  for 
which  those  clinging  minor  chords  bore  hid 
den  meaning ;  yet  the  message  that  came  to 
the  one  was  totally  unlike  that  which  the 
other  received. 

When  all  was  over ;  when  the  flower- 
laden  casket  had  been  lowered  to  its  resting- 
place  in  the  spot  Cy  had  himself  chosen  by 
the  river-boundary  of  the  little  village  ceme 
tery  ;  when  all  the  people  had  gone  away, 
and  the  cool,  green  sods  had  been  carefully 
replaced  above  the  new  -  made  mound,  Con 
rad  and  Robin,  standing  one  on  either  side, 
raised  their  heads  as  by  mutual  consent,  and, 
looking  full  into  one  another's  face,  clasped 
hands  across  the  grave. 

"  Shall  we  say  good-by,  here  ?  it  is  a  good 
place."  Conrad's  voice  was  low,  and  not 
quite  steady,  but  Robin's  clear  tone  never 
wavered  as  she  answered  him. 

"  The  very  best.     Good-by !  " 

Without  another  word,  another  look,  they 
parted,  and  went  their  separate  ways.  He 
to  the  hotel  to  pack  his  trunk,  and  be  driven 
a  little  later  to  the  Falls,  thence  to  take  the 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  279 

midnight  train  for  Boston.  She  to  the  side- 
gate  of  the  cemetery,  where  Terry  and  her 
imcle  were  already  waiting. 

"  Robin,  my  dear,  I  have  a  call  in  another 
direction.  Abel  Rogers  has  had  a  second 
stroke.  Terry  will  drive  you  home.  I  must 
hunt  up  Conrad  again,  too,  and  say  good- 
by  to  him.  The  poor  boy  seems  sadly  cut 
up  by  all  that  has  happened.  We  must  get 
him  here  again,  another  year,  for  a  better 
ending  to  his  visit.  Go  right  to  bed,  dear 
child,"  he  added,  putting  her  carefully  into 
the  chaise,  "  you  need  rest,  sadly.  Terry  will 
excuse  you.  I  shall  be  back  to  tea." 

Rest,  or  something,  Robin  did  indeed  need 
sadly  ;  but  the  strain  had  been  too  intense 
and  long-continued  for  relaxation  to  come 
at  once.  Bolt  upright,  white,  and  silent  she 
sat  by  Terry's  side,  while  Nahum,  remember 
ing  his  former  experience  with  his  present 
driver,  bestirred  himself  to  climb  the  hills 
alertly. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

"  Pardon  the  faults  in  me, 
For  the  love  of  years  ago  : 
Good-by." 

CHMSTINA  ROSSETTI. 

FEOM  time  to  time  Terry  glanced  at  his 
cousin,  but  her  eyes  never  once  turned  to 
ward  him.  There  was  a  fixed,  battle-worn, 
enduring  look  in  her  face  that  he  could  not 
bear  to  see,  and  yet  that  he  could  scarce 
keep  from  noting,  stealthily,  either.  A  deep, 
long  sigh  of  relief  fled  from  the  girl's  pale 
lips  when  Nahum  came  at  last  to  his  delib 
erate  stop  before  the  home  doorway ;  and 
she  sprang  from  the  chaise,  and  passed 
swiftly  through  the  hall,  as  one  who  seeks 
to  escape  and  would  not  be  stopped. 

Terry  understood,  yet  he  stopped  her,  just 
this  once.  He  overtook  her  at  the  stair- 
foot,  and  laid  a  gentle,  but  detaining  hand 
upon  her  own  as  it  rested  on  the  rail. 

"  Cousin  Robin,"  he  said,  quietly,  calling 
her,  with  a  generous  grace  that  was  some 
thing  new  in  Terry,  by  the  name  he  had 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  281 

never  used  before  since  they  were  boy  and 
girl,  "  I  am  going  back  to  New  York  to 
night  ;  won't  you  say  good-by  ?  " 

"  You,  Terry  ?  " 

Her  voice  spoke  mingled  surprise  and  re 
lief,  and  the  little  emphasis  on  one  word  told 
of  another  feeling,  too.  She  had  not  forgot 
ten  that  some  one  else  was  to  take  the  mid 
night  train. 

"  Yes,  /,"  replied  her  cousin,  with  a  little 
accentuation  on  his  part.  He  knew  so  well 
that  there  would  probably  be  but  one  pas 
senger  from  Ockley,  after  all. 

"  I  have  not  said  good-by  to  uncle,  —  I 
could  n't ;  you  must  do  that  for  me." 

Then,  seeing  him  so  brave  and  unself 
ish,  so  much  a  man  in  his  disappointment, 
Robin's  heart  smote  her.  She  came  down 
the  step  or  two  which  she  had  mounted,  and 
held  out  both  hands  to  him. 

"  Terry,  if  I  have  seemed  hard  and  un 
feeling,  forgive  me  !  I  am  both,  I  believe, 
just  now.  It  seems,  somehow,  as  if  I  were 
frozen  up."  The  dreary  little  smile  upon 
her  tired  face  touched  him  to  the  quick.  He 
had  been  forbidden  to  feel  for  himself,  he 
was  beginning  to  feel  for  others. 

"  Don't  speak  like  that,  Robin !  "  he  ex- 


282  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

claimed,  drawing  a  quick,  sharp  breath,  "  it 
hurts.  I  know  I  have  done  a  horrible  two 
weeks'  work,  but  it  can  be  undone,  some  of 
it,  and  it  shall."  And  the  young  fellow 
drew  himself  up  with  a  look  of  resolution 
on  his  face  that  had  never  been  there  before. 

Robin  did  not  understand.  She  thought 
he  spoke  of  himself,  and  his  own  troubles ; 
she  was  glad  for  him  that  he  could  speak  so 
bravely.  "  That  is  right,  Terry  ;  undo  it  all, 
undo  it  quickly.  It  was  never  meant  to  be, 
or  I  should  have  wanted  it  too,  and  I  do 
not.  The  right  one  is  ready  for  you,  some 
where,  and  you  are  ready  for  her,  or  will  be. 
You  mistook  one  girl  for  another,  that  was 
all." 

"  I  don't  know  that.  It  may  be  so,  but  I 
am  not  quite  ready  to  agree  with  you  now. 
If  there  be  another  Robin  in  the  world  I 
have  yet  to  find  her,  and  "  —  Terry  lifted 
his  head  proudly  —  "  anything  less  I  do  not 
want !  " 

"  You  are  a  noble  fellow,  Terry  !  I  never 
knew  half  how  noble  before.  You  will  find 
a  great  deal  more,  some  day,  than  you  ever 
found  in  me  ;  and  meanwhile,  I  am  proud  to 
be  your  —  cousin." 

She  would  not  call  him  "  friend  ;  "  that 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  283 

word  had  been  profaned.  She  held  out  her 
hand,  both  hands,  again.  He  took  them  in 
his  own  and  looked,  with  a  long,  wistful, 
hungry  look,  into  her  eyes. 

"  Good-by,  little  girl,"  he  said,  tenderly  ; 
"  if  only  one  of  us  can  be  happy,  I  am  glad 
that  one  is  you."  Then,  all  at  once,  while 
she  looked  wonderingly  at  him,  he  caught 
her  in  his  arms,  kissed  her  once,  twice,  three 
times,  turned,  and  was  gone. 

She  went  slowly  on,  upstairs,  wondering 
still  at  his  strange  last  words,  and  feeling 
that  in  uttering  this  third  farewell,  she  had 
also  bidden  good-by  to  all  her  happy  girl 
hood,  forever. 

As  for  Terry,  now  that  the  supreme  mo 
ment  was  over,  all  his  new-found  strength 
seemed  to  desert  him.  It  had  been  compara 
tively  easy  to  speak  brave,  unselfish  words 
with  Robin's  hand  in  his,  and  Robin's  eyes 
looking  approval  at  him ;  but  now  he  had  left 
her  behind,  and  the  hardest  part  of  his  task 
lay  yet  before  him.  He  plunged  down  the 
steep  bank  to  the  river,  and  strode  along  the 
narrow  path  that  hugged  the  winding  stream. 
It  was  a  weary,  dreary  way  to  his  unwilling 
feet.  Every  tree,  every  rock,  every  clump 
of  ferns  and  tuft  of  water-weeds  that  lie  had 


284  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

known  so  long  and  well,  had  a  word  for  him 
that  day.  The  happy  summer-time  was  over 
and  gone  forever.  Autumn  had  already  be 
gun  to  lay  her  withering  finger  on  many  a 
leaf  and  flower.  "  The  time  of  the  singing 
of  birds  "  was  past ;  only  here  and  there  a 
stray  partridge  crept  shyly  away  through 
the  undergrowth,  or  rose  with  hurrying  whirr 
from  some  hidden  covert  at  his  feet.  The 
river  flowed  on  still.  Summer  or  winter  its 
ceaseless  waters  never  failed  nor  faltered; 
yet  even  the  river  bore  a  sadness  in  its  song 
that  had  not  been  there  before.  The  car 
dinal  flowers  were  all  gone  ;  they  had  picked 
the  bright  scarlet  spikes  together,  Robin  and 
Conrad,  and  Cy  and  he,  only  a  month  ago. 
Now  the  month  was  gone,  and  the  flowers : 
and  of  those  who  sought  their  vivid  blooms 
so  gayly  two  were  drifting  apart  who  should 
have  been  together ;  and  one  had  passed  away 
from  birds,  and  flowers,  and  friends,  out  of 
hearing  of  the  rapid  rippling  river,  that,  flow 
ing  ever  on  amid  his  old-time  haunts,  flowed 
also  now  beside  his  still,  green  grave ;  and 
one  was  leaving  far  behind  the  Eden  of  his 
boyhood  to  forge  out,  with  God's  help,  upon 
the  world's  rough  anvil  that  "  whole  armor  " 
for  the  want  of  which  so  many  a  gallant 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  285 

head  has  been  laid  low  in  the  first  charge  on 
life's  fierce  battle-field.  The  true  metal  for 
it  all  was  in  him  ;  the  hammer  and  the  anvil 
would  not  fail ;  but  first  must  come  the  fiery 
furnace,  and  the  purging,  and  Terry  shivered 
before  the  fierce,  hot  pain  even  while  he 
went  his  swift,  unswerving  way  to  meet  it. 

In  the  stuffy  hotel  bedroom  Conrad  was 
packing  his  trunk.  Clothing,  books,  and 
papers  lay  on  the  floor  about  him ;  in  his 
hand  was  the  manuscript  of  his  partly  writ 
ten  story.  He  had  risen  to  his  feet  and 
stood  turning  over  the  leaves  with  a  grave 
face,  as  Terry  came  in.  The  afternoon  had 
been  cool,  and  in  the  little  open  grate  lay 
the  smouldering  remains  of  a  recent  fire. 
Terry  flung  himself  into  a  chair ;  something 
in  the  coincidence  of  things  carried  them 
both  back,  in  memory,  to  the  little  New  York 
study,  and  their  last  morning  together  there. 
They  had  been  fast  friends,  these  two. 

"  Nearly  packed  ?  "  asked  Terry,  care 
lessly. 

"  All,  but.  I  want  to  get  rid  of  some  of 
this  —  rubbish  !  "  and  hastily  gathering  up 
all  the  odds  and  ends  of  wrapping  paper 
that  lay  scattered  about  Conrad  thrust  them 
into  the  grate,  adding  thereto  the  few  sticks 


286  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

yet  remaining  in  the  wood-box.  Then,  tak 
ing  several  sheets  from  the  pile  of  manu 
script,  he  deliberately  tore  them  across,  and 
flung  the  fragments  upon  the  blazing  pile. 

"  Hold  hard,  Con  !  "  exclaimed  Terry, 
jumping  up  as  the  other  was  about  to  repeat 
the  process,  "  what  are  you  about  ?  " 

"  Don't  get  excited,  Terry ;  I  am  merely 
burning  my  ships  —  nothing  more." 

The  words  were  light,  but  there  was  a 
bitter  tone  to  them  that  his  friend  had 
never  heard  from  him  before. 

"  Don't  do  that,  Con  ;  you  will  want 
them  again."  And  Terry  coolly  removed 
the  pile  of  manuscript  to  a  place  of  safety. 

"  Hardly.  Just  hand  the  stuff  back  here, 
please ! " 

But  instead  of  doing  as  he  was  bid  Terry 
came  closer,  and  laid  a  hand  on  his  friend's 
shoulder. 

"  Con,  old  man,"  he  said,  trying  to  smile 
and  failing  dismally,  "  don't  get  mad  with 
a  fellow.  I  'm  going  to  say  good-by  in  a 
few  minutes,  and  you  won't  see  me  again, 
very  soon.  But  first  —  you  're  better  up  in 
history  than  I  am  —  would  what  's-his-name 
have  burned  his  ships  if  there  had  n't  been 
hard  fighting  to  be  done,  in  a  strange  land  ?  " 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  287 

Conrad  looked  up  in  surprise  ;  it  was  a 
new  freak  for  Jackson  to  be  putting  history 
questions. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  he  said  ;  "  my 
papers,  please  !  I  'm  in  rather  a  hurry." 

But  Terry  had  thrust  his  hands  into  his 
pockets,  and  was  striding  up  and  down  the 
room  ;  letting  off  steam  according  to  his  old 
habit. 

"  I  mean  —  just  that ;  "  he  answered, 
slowly,  as  if  he  found  his  words  hard  to 
speak.  "  You  're  making  ready  for  hard 
fighting,  and  there  's  no  fighting  to  be  done. 
Or  if  there  is,  it's  not  for  you.  You  can 
go  back  to  —  wherever  you  came  from !  " 

Conrad  stood  stock-still,  arrested  midway 
in  his  progress  across  the  room,  his  face  be 
coming  like  marble  for  whiteness  and  fixity. 
"  Do  you  know  what  you  are  saying,  boy  ?  " 
he  cried,  hoarsely  and  low ;  "  if  you  don't, 
for  Heaven's  sake  quit  talking !  if  you  do, 
speak  out  —  speak  plainly." 

Poor  Terry!  his  sharp  hour  had  come. 
There  was  a  hard,  dull  pain  at  his  heart, 
but  the  man  was  in  him,  he  never  flinched. 

"  Con,"  he  answered,  turning,  like  an 
animal  at  bay,  to  face  his  death-blow.  "I 
know  just  two  things,  for  sure.  Robin  does 


288  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

not  love  me,  and  never  will ;  and  she  does 
—  and  will  always  —  love  some  one  else. 
Who  that  some  one  is  you  know  best,  I 
think." 

He  had  fought  bravely,  but  he  could  fight 
no  more.  The  strength  had  gone  clean  out 
of  him  with  those  few,  plain  words.  He 
turned  to  the  darkening  window  and  laid 
his  vanquished  head  down,  wearily,  upon  his 
folded  arms. 

Victory,  too,  is  hard  to  bear  sometimes. 
The  swift,  triumphant  gladness  which  had 
flashed  into  Conrad's  eyes  at  Terry's  words 
faded  and  died  away  as  he  noted  the  price 
at  which  his  triumph  had  been  bought. 
Thankfulness  and  joy  were  there  still,  but 
they  shone  through  something  very  like 
tears.  There  was  silence,  for  a  time,  be 
tween  the  two. 

Then  Conrad  crossed  the  room  and  laid 
his  arm,  lightly,  across  his  friend's  shoulders. 

"  Terry,"  said  he,  "  I  little  thought,  three 
months  ago,  that  you  and  I  would  ever 
come  to  stand  on  opposite  sides  of  a  thing 
like  this.  It  is  useless  to  play  the  hypocrite, 
now,  and  say  I  'm  sorry,  for  I  'm  not.  I  'm 
glad  ! "  (the  ring  in  his  voice  told  how  glad.) 
"  But  I  have  n't  suffered  these  weeks  past  to 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  289 

crow  over  you  now,  and  a  man  who  can  do 
what  you  have  done  is  not  to  be  pitied,  ex 
actly.  There  's  only  one  thing  to  be  said. 
When  I  thought  things  were  in  your  favor, 
hard  as  it  was,  I  never  grudged  you  your 
happiness  for  a  moment.  I  know  you  well 
enough  to  feel  sure  that  you  will  never 
grudge  me  mine.  Our  friendship  can  stand 
even  this  strain." 

"  Yes,  by  Jove,  it  can  !  "  exclaimed  Terry, 
raising  his  head  proudly,  but  keeping  his 
face  carefully  turned  toward  the  window. 
"  I  'm  hard  hit,  Con,  and  no  mistake,  but 
I  'm  not  such  a  fool  as  to  want  what  does  n't 
belong  to  me  for  all  that.  May  be,  some 
day,  as  Robin  said,  I  shall  find  what  does 
belong  to  me,  and  then  —  I  '11  hold  on  in 
spite  of  the  devil !  "  He  grasped  Conrad's 
proffered  hand  in  his  own,  appreciating  for 
the  first  time  what  that  other  hand-shake, 
three  weeks  before,  had  cost  his  friend ;  but 
for  all  his  brave  words,  the  boy  was  sore  at 
heart ;  and  when  Conrad  had  left  the  room, 
he  threw  himself,  face  downward,  upon  the 
low  lounge  by  the  fire  and  lay  there,  motion 
less  and  still,  while  the  red  flame  danced 
and  flickered  —  casting  weird  shadows  over 
walls  and  ceiling,  and  rose,  and  fell,  and 

19 


290  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

sobbed  itself  to  death  in  a  blue  quiver.  The 
embers  glowed,  and  deadened,  and  cooled  to 
soft,  white  ashes  ;  but  yet  the  prostrate  figure 
lay  there  and  did  not  stir. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

"  Thou,  and  the  evening  star,  and  she  and  I." 

EDWIN  ARNOLD. 

CONRAD  went  on  and  up,  over  the  hills, 
in  the  cool,  early  evening.  On  and  up  till 
the  narrow  brown  road  lay  in  a  long,  curling 
ribbon  behind  him,  and  only  the  last  steep 
hill  remained  to  climb.  He  had  never 
thought  to  climb  that  hill  again! 

He  had  come  fast,  for  his  feet  kept  pace 
with  his  brain,  and  his  brain  was  in  a  whirl. 
He  had  not  paused,  as  yet,  to  look  back  over 
the  past.  Possibly,  had  he  done  so,  the 
future  might  have  seemed  a  bit  dubious  to 
him,  remembering  Robin's  proud,  still  face 
of  late.  He  had  not  got  so  far,  either,  as  to 
hazard  a  peep  at  the  future,  or,  possibly,  that 
might  have  sent  him  about-face  to  the  past 
for  counsel.  He  had  thought  and  action 
for  the  present  only,  but  such  thought  and 
action  were  at  high  pressure. 

The  fair  full  moon  was  rising  in  silent 
majesty  over  the  eastern  hills ;  the  shadows 


292  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

of  the  tree-trunks  along  the  roadside  fell 
like  black,  forbidding  bars  across  his  way. 
He  trod  them  under  foot,  and  pressed  on. 
Far  off  in  the  woods  an  owl  was  hooting ; 
the  cool  autumn  wind  stirred  fitfully  among 
the  branches,  and  over  in  the  meadow  count 
less  fall  crickets  polished  their  black  legs 
with  busy  chirping.  He  opened  the  little 
side  -  gate,  noiselessly,  and  let  himself 
through.  It  seemed  a  lifetime,  almost, 
since  he  had  last  laid  his  hand  upon  its 
iron  latchet.  No  one  was  in  the  porch,  no 
one  in  the  study.  He  passed  out  again,  and 
round  to  the  side  door-yard.  Mrs.  Bloom 
was  coming  across  from  the  barn-yard  with 
a  milk  pail  in  either  hand ;  the  moonbeams 
flashing  back  from  their  shiny  tin  curves  as 
she  walked. 

"  Is  that  you,  Parson  Gary  ?  "  she  called 
out,  catching  sight  of  a  man's  tall  figure 
emerging  from  the  house  shadow  ;  "  we  're 
late  with  the  milkin'  ter-night,  'caount  o' 
the  funer'l  puttin'  us  back  some." 

"  It 's  I,  Mrs.  Bloom.  Where  is  —  every 
body?" 

"  The  Lord  preserve  us  all !  "  ejaculated 
the  housekeeper,  letting  fall  her  milk-pails 
where  she  stood,  and  coming  forward  quick- 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  293 

ly.  "  Where  is  everybody,  sure  enough  ? 
Or  where  hev  they  be'n,  ruther  !  I  never 
clreamp'  o'  seein'  your  face  ag'in,  Mister 
Forkner.  Be  ye  come  ter  stop  this  time  ?  " 
she  scrutinized  him  sharply  as  she  spoke. 

"  That  is  not  for  me  to  say,"  replied  Con 
rad,  gravely. 

"  H'm  !  donno  as  't  is  —  naow.  Three 
weeks  back  I  sh'd  ha'  said  't  was  —  in  a 
maysure." 

"  Where  is  Miss  Robin  ?  "  asked  Conrad, 
again,  chafing  inwardly  at  being  so  far  de 
pendent  upon  the  housekeeper's  clemency 
that  he  must  stay  where  he  was  till  she  chose 
to  answer  him. 

Mrs.  Bloom's  rigid  features  relaxed,  and 
there  came  a  tearful  pucker  into  her  fat  face 
that  would  have  been  ludicrous  but  for  its 
cause. 

"  She 's  in  trouble,  poor  thing,  that 's 
where  she  is  ;  an'  I  wish  all  the  fellers  in 
York  had  be'n  drownded  in  a  pint  pot  afore 
she  'd  had  her  pretty,  happy  life  destroyed 
by  'em  !  As  ef  't  warnt  enough  ter  see  poor 
Cy  a-layin'  dead  there  to-day,  all  along  o' 
that  kerless  Terry  an'  his  murderin'  blun 
derbuss  ;  but  Miss  Robin  must  be  goin' 
round  with  somethin'  in  her  lovin'  little 


294  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

heart  that 's  worse  'n  any  bullit,  fer  it 's  turn- 
in'  her  cold  an'  still  too,  only  she  can't  die 
an'  git  threw  with  it  like  Cy's  done.  She 
come  out  here,  just  now,  with  her  white  face, 
an'  cold  hands,  an'  her  big  eyes  fit  ter  burn 
us  all  up  ;  an'  not  a  word  ter  me  nor  no 
body,  but  up  an'  away  through  the  cold,  wet 
grass,  with  her  thin  shoes  an'  not  a  rag  over 
her  shoulders,  poor  dear,  an'  I  not  darin'  ter 
speak  a  word,  like  an  old  fool ! "  She  put 
her  apron  furtively  to  her  eyes,  and  Conrad 
stood  waiting.  "  Fer  the  Lord's  sake,  Mis 
ter  Forkner,"  she  exclaimed,  facing  round 
upon  him  abruptly  and  fiercely,  "  ef  ye  've 
found  out  what  a  durn'  fool  ye  've  be'n,  an' 
mean  ter  own  to  't,  go  after  her !  She  's  in 
the  hill  orchard." 

Conrad  waited  for  nothing  further ;  he 
had  got  all  he  asked  for  and  a  good  deal 
more.  He  hastened  away,  through  the  trees 
and  up  the  slope,  the  echoes  of  Mrs.  Bloom's 
unminced  remarks  yet  buzzing  in  his  ears 
like  a  swarm  of  hornets  ;  while  she,  worthy 
woman,  resuming  the  burden  she  had  dropped 
to  battle  so  fearlessly  in  her  young  lady's  be 
half,  followed  him  with  damp  eyes  till  he  was 
out  of  sight. 

"  Drat   the  men !  "    she    said   to   herself, 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  295 

as  she  hurried  into  the  house  and  began 
to  bustle  about  to  make  up  for  lost  time  ; 
"  they  're  queer  critters,  the  best  on  'em.  / 
know  'em  !  Some  on  'em  won't  take  no  fer 
an  answer  ef  ye  hit  'em  over  the  head  with 
the  shovel,  an'  more  don't  know  beans  when 
they  're  right  afore  their  noses  !  Ef  ever  I 
see  the  course  o'  true  love  a-runnin'  smooth 
an'  easy  't  was  this  time,  till  that  boy  Terry 
come  pokin'  around  an'  lay  in'  hisself  right 
acrosst  the  stream  like  a  dam  —  well  never 
mind  ;  he  ain't  wuth  swearin'  about,  an'  he's 
got  a  blamed  good  duckin'  by  it  too,  poor  fel 
ler  !  that 's  one  comfort." 

Mrs.  Bloom's  remarks,  like  her  sympa 
thies,  were  getting  to  be  a  good  deal  mixed. 

Conrad  passed  up  through  the  hill  or 
chard  ;  now  in  moonlight,  now  in  shadow, 
till,  at  the  very  top,  from  beneath  spreading 
apple-boughs  that  made  a  fragrant  gloom, 
he  emerged  into  open  pasture-space  flooded 
with  silver  light.  At  any  other  time  the 
clear,  pure  beauty  of  the  night  itself  would 
have  held  him  spell-bound.  A  wonderful 
shadow-play  was  going  on  all  over  the  sur 
rounding  hill-sides,  and  down  in  the  valley 
below.  But  to-night  he  had  eyes  for  only 
one  object  in  all  the  gracious  panorama  that 


296  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

unrolled  itself  before  him.  Robin,  her  white 
dress  gleaming  in  the  moonlight,  stood  by 
the  old  stone  wall  alone.  She  did  not  hear 
him  coming;  her  eyes  were  upon  the  far, 
immovable  hills,  and  something"  of  their  up 
lifted  strength  was  in  the  firm,  true  poise  of 
her  graceful  figure,  and  the  still  set  of  her 
features,  outlined  against  the  light.  The 
girl  was  a  soldier  every  inch.  She  might 
suffer,  or  die,  but  it  would  be  "  on  the  field 
of  battle,"  her  face  to  the  enemy's  lines. 

"  Miss  Robin  !  " 

He  could  feel,  standing  beside  her,  that 
she  started  from  head  to  foot ;  but  she 
turned  instantly,  unhesitatingly,  and  con 
fronted  him  without  a  word.  Then  he  saw  in 
her  face  the  look  of  which  Mrs.  Bloom  had 
spoken  ;  the  intense,  wide-eyed  look  of  one 
who  has  suffered  beyond  the  possible  relief 
of  tears.  That  look,  without  a  spoken  word, 
revealed  at  last,  to  his  short  -  sightedness, 
all  that  she  had  been  enduring  through 
these  hard  days  and  nights  when  he  had 
fancied  he  was  having  all  the  suffering  to 
himself.  In  the  light  of  those  dark,  sorrow 
ful  eyes  he  stood  convicted. 

There  was  nothing  for  her  to  say;  she 
had  already  done  her  utmost.  She  stood 
and  waited  for  him  to  speak. 


SIGH-LIGHTS.  297 

He  could  be  brave,  as  well  as  she.  He 
looked  her  full  in  the  face  ;  the  words  came 
hardly,  but  they  came  for  all  that. 

"  I  have  been  —  mistaken.  Three  weeks 
ago  something  was  told  to  me  that  blotted 
the  very  sunlight  out  of  heaven  itself.  It 
was  a  mistake ;  but  I  believed  it.  I  thought 
I  had  good  reason  to  believe  it.  Now  I  see 
that  I  was  wrong.  AVill  you  forgive  me?" 

"  Who  told  you  —  something  ?  " 

Her  words  were  clear  and  cold  as  if 
carved  in  ice,  but  the  hard  look  in  her  eyes 
began  to  soften. 

"  Terry,  himself."  His  words  were  clear 
too,  but  they  were  not  cold,  and  his  hand 
some  face  was  all  aglow. 

"  And  who  has  told  you  differently  now?" 

"  Terry,  himself." 

"  Brave  boy ! "  Her  eyes  shone,  and  a 
soft  color  crept  up  into  her  cheeks. 

"  Brave,  yes,  he  is  all  that !  Not  one 
man  in  ten  thousand  would  have  spoken  as 
he  spoke  to-night.  His  words  made  me 
glad  ;  they  lifted  a  weight  from  my  heart 
that  had  gone  nigh  to  crushing  it.  But 
what  is  it  all  to  profit  me  unless  —  you  for 
give  me,  Robin?" 

She  drew  herself  up   to  her  full  height, 


298  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

and  the  glorious  rush  of  color  to  cheeks  aud 
brow  was  something  to  see  as  she  answered 
him  in  impetuous  words. 

"  Mr.  Faulkner,  what  the  past  has  been  to 
us,  we  both  know  too  well  for  either  to  at 
tempt  denial.  It  has  been  much,  very  much 
to  me ;  I  am  not  ashamed  to  own  it !  " 
Truly  there  was  no  shame,  nor  need  for  it, 
in  the  deep,  womanly  eyes  that  met  his  so 
steadfastly.  She  went  on,  more  hurriedly  : 
"  When  I  saw,  as  I  could  not  help  seeing, 
that  something  had  gone  wrong,  I  was  sorry 
—  I  was  hurt,  but  that  was  all.  I  felt  so 
sure  you  would  make  it  all  plain,  so  sure," 
the  steady  voice  wavered  a  little  here,  "  you 
would  keep  your  promise  as  I  kept  mine. 
For  I  have  kept  it !  "  she  asserted  proudly, 
"  kept  it  in  the  face  of  much  that  would 
have  seemed,  to  many  an  older  woman  than 
I,  excuse  sufficient  for  breaking  it.  Kept  it 
to  the  extent  of  reminding  you  of  your  own, 
and  you  —  flung  back  the  friendship  you 
were  first  to  seek  !  " 

The  pain  and  bitterness  of  that  last  night 
at  the  cottage  were  in  her  face  once  more  as 
they  had  been  then  ;  and  Conrad's  eyes  were 
not  upon  the  river  this  time,  he  saw  it  all. 

"  I   was   a   fool !  "    he    c^ied,   hotly,   "  a 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  299 

blind,  blundering,  half -crazy  fool!  but  I 
have  suffered  for  it  too.  Can  you  forgive, 
Eobin?" 

She  laid  her  right  hand  instantly  into  his, 
held  out  to  take  it. 

"  Yes,  I  can  forgive." 

"  And  forget  ?  " 

She  would  have  withdrawn  her  hand,  but 
he  held  it  fast,  as  one  who  had  no  mind  to 
let  it  go  again. 

"  And  forget,  Robin  ?  "  he  repeated,  look 
ing  down  into  her  face  with  earnest  eyes. 

"  It 's  ill  patching  a  broken  friendship," 
she  said  slowly,  but  her  voice  had  lost  its 
clear  control,  and  her  eyes  fell  before  his 
steady  gaze. 

He  answered  not  a  word,  but  the  strong 
hand  clasping  hers  drew  her  closer,  closer, 
while  the  other  arm  crept  round,  unseen, 
and  held  her  fast. 

•  "  Robin,"  he  said,  then,  and  the  deep,  full 
tones  had  a  thrill  in  them  that  fell  like 
music  on  her  tired  ears,  "our  friendship 
broke,  not  because  it  was  weak,  but  because 
we  tried  to  make  it  hold  too  much.  There 
is  another  word,  not  half  as  long ;  but  it 
contains  all  friendship  and  infinitely  more 
besides.  I  think  it  is  the  word  we  have 


300  HIGH-LIGUTS. 

been  spelling  to  ourselves  all  along.     Shall 
we  spell  it  together  now  ?  " 

How  should  she  answer  when  her  heart 
was  full,  almost  to  bursting,  with  the  meet 
ing  tides  of  sorrow  and  great  joy  ?  Not  one 
word  came  from  the  firm-set  lips ;  but  they 
quivered  away  from  their  firmness,  like  a 
child's.  She  could  do  no  more.  The  long, 
brave  fight  was  ended  ;  the  fountains  of  the 
great  deep  were  broken  up ;  the  proud  little 
head  drooped  down,  down,  like  a  tired  bird, 
to  its  resting-place,  and  Robin  cried  as 
though  her  heart  would  break. 

A  few  days  later  old  Ben  Thacher  and  his 
sister  Constance  were  sitting  out  under  the 
trees  on  the  lawn  at  Winford.  That  is,  their 
bodies  were  there  ;  where  they  themselves 
were  is  not  so  easy  to  say,  for  Mr.  Thacher 
was  sound  asleep  in  his  lounging-chair,  and 
Miss  Constance  was  deep  in  a  book.  For 
a  long  time  the  stillness  remained  unbroken, 
save  as  the  wind  rustled  the  leaves  of  the 
elm-branches  overhead,  or  as  the  lady  turned 
those  of  the  volume  in  her  hand.  Suddenly 
there  broke  upon  the  stillness  the  ringing, 
metallic  hoot  of  a  locomotive  whistle  !  Miss 
Constance  dropped  her  book,  consulted  her 
watch,  and  poked  her  brother. 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  301 

"  Ben  —  Ben !  the  train  is  at  the  junction  ; 
I  heard  it  just  now." 

"  My  gracious,  Constance !  what  possessed 
you  to  let  me  sleep  so  long  ?  Do  my  best,  I 
can't  get  to  the  station  before  he  does,  now." 

"  May  be  you  will  have  time  ;  they  wait  at 
the  crossing,  you  know." 

"  Well,  well,  I  must  be  off  !  Hope  Quinn 
has  got  the  horses  in.  Will  you  come  ?  " 

"  No.  I  won't  hinder  you  any  more." 

And  indeed  he  did  not  give  her  a  chance, 
for  he  was  halfway  to  the  stables  before  the 
words  were  well  out  of  her  mouth. 

She  laughed  to  herself  as  the  buggy  tore 
down  the  road  in  a  cloud  of  dust,  and  she 
caught  sight  of  her  brother's  hat  lying  on  the 
grass  where  he  had  tossed  it  before  going  to 
sleep.  Then  she  settled  once  more  to  her 
reading,  to  be  shortly  roused,  for  the  second 
time,  by  a  hand  laid  on  her  shoulder,  and 
Conrad  Faulkner's  pleasant  voice  in  her  ears. 

When  Mr.  Thacher  returned,  ten  minutes 
later,  hatless  and  crestfallen,  without  the 
guest  he  went  to  seek,  he  found  his  sister 
just  where  he  had  left  her.  but  her  face  was 
radiant,  and  the  interrupted  novel  lay,  in  an 
ignominious  sprawl,  upon  the  grass  beside 
the  hat. 


302  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

"  Ho-ho,  how  self-satisfied  we  look,  to  be 
sure  !  Guess  the  conquering  hero  has  ar- 
rove,  after  all.  Did  he  drop  from  the  clouds  ? 
and  has  he  gone  back  the  way  he  came?  " 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it !  He  has  only  gone  to 
his  room.  He  got  off  at  the  crossing  and  cut 
through  the  woods." 

"  Cut  me  too,  the  rascal !  However,  I  sup 
pose  this  is  no  time  for  showing  spite.  Cu 
pid  's  blind,  he  'd  never  see  it  if  I  did.  How 
does  the  fellow  look  ?  " 

"  Well,  and  very  happy,  Ben." 

"  H'm !  I  suppose  so ;  they  all  do  —  at 
first.  Is  he  prepared  to  look  happy  till 
October  for  our  exclusive  benefit  ?  " 

"  He  wants  us  to  give  up  the  Moosehead 
plan,  and  go  back  to  Ockley  with  him." 

"  I  '11  warrant  he  does,  young  scamp !  "  ex 
claimed  the  lawyer,  with  a  beaming  face ; 
"  after  keeping  us  waiting  all  this  time.  You 
nipped  that  proposition  in  the  bud,  of 
course  ?  " 

"  I  said  we  would  go." 

"  The  deuce  you  did !  You  and  he  together 
make  a  pretty  go-ahead  team,  old  lady.  There 
seems  to  be  nothing  left  for  me  but  to  put 
my  tail  between  my  legs  and  trot  along  after 
the  wagon.  Hulloa  !  here 's  the  fellow  now  ! 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  303 

Well,  sir,"  seizing  Conrad's  two  hands  and 
working  them  briskly  up  and  down  like 
steam  pumps,  "  I  don't  see  as  there 's  much 
left  for  me  to  say.  Connie,  here,  seems  to 
have  said  everything  —  and  a  little  more. 
What  train  do  we  expect  to  take  to-morrow 
morning  ?  I  must  be  packing  up." 

"  Day  after  to-morrow  will  do  very  well," 
said  Conrad,  from  whose  happy  face  the 
gathered  gravity  of  years  was  swept  away. 

"  '  Do  very  well  ?  '  no  such  thing !  I  '11  tell 
her  you  said  so,  though.  'Twas  for  your 
pleasure  (and  the  old  lady's)  you  came  here  ; 
you  shall  go  back  for  mine.  If  I  can't  boss 
the  line  of  travel,  at  least  I  '11  boss  the  time 
of  starting.  I  want  to  see  this  girl  with  a 
bird's  name  that 's  been  setting  us  all  by  the 
ears  for  three  months,  and  upsetting  all  my 
plans.  I  want  to  inspect  her  dairy,  and 
taste  her  butter,  and  find  out  whether  or 
no  she  's  fit  to  be  a  poor  man's  wife.  For 
you  're  a  poor  man,  you  know,  Con  !  "  And 
Mr.  Thacher  bestowed  a  most  undignified 
and  vigorous  wink  upon  his  sister,  in  return 
for  her  remonstrant  shake  of  the  head. 

"  I  know  I  used  to  think  so,"  replied  Con 
rad,  not  at  all  cast  down ;  "  I  do  not  think  so 
now." 


304  HIGH-LIGHTS. 


,  —  noiv,  of  course  not!"  repeated 
the  lawyer,  trying  in  vain  to  frown.  "  Now  's 
a  great  time  with  you  ;  the  heyday  of  youth, 
and  all  that.  But,"  he  added  abruptly,  turn 
ing  upon  Conrad  with  a  sharp  scrutiny,  "  by 
and  by  is  coming,  too.  There  are  all  sorts 
of  days  in  life,  boy,  as  well  as  sunny  ones. 
Three  months  ago  you  said  you  could  n't  af 
ford  to  keep  a  wife  ;  why  have  you  changed 
your  mind  ?  " 

And  Conrad,  looking  straight  into  the  old 
man's  face,  answered,  with  all  his  great  joy 
shining  in  his  eyes  :  — 

"  Because  I  cannot  afford  to  live  with 
out  her  any  longer." 

When  Robin  carried  the  good  news  to  Ja 
net,  the  old  woman's  face  fairly  shone. 

"  Then  a'  's  come  right  at  last,  Miss  Robin, 
an'  it  's  I  that  's  main  glad  for  ye  baith  !  If 
ever  onybody  deserved  the  best  things  o'  this 
weary  war!',  it  's  just  them  that  's  gettiu'  'em 
noo." 

"  If  only  we  could  all  be  happy  together  !  " 
said  Robin,  the  one  little  cloud  in  all  her 
bright  new  sky  coming  over  her  face,  as  she 
remembered  through  what  depth  of  sorrow 
this  joy  had  been  brought  about. 


HIGH-LIGHTS.  305 

"  An'  so  we  can,"  replied  Janet,  cheerily; 
"  wha  's  to  hinder  ?  " 

"  When  I  think  of  Terry  —  and  Cy  "  - 

"  Hoots,  lassie  !  "  interrupted  her  old  nurse. 
"Ye've  no  call  to  pity  Maister  Terry,  my 
dear.  The  lad's  pains  are  just  wha'  folks  ca' 
'  growin'  pains  ; '  he  '11  but  be  the  bigger 
mon  for  them,  some  day.  An'  as  for  Cy  — 
my  Cy,"  added  the  old  woman,  with  a  ten 
der  gleam  in  her  deep-set  eyes,  "  he 's  won 
till  the  heart  o'  it  all.  He  would  na'  change 
places  wi'  ony  o'  ye  !  " 

Robin's  face  cleared,  and  the  happy  look 
crept  back  again. 

"  I  min'  Maister  Faulkner  sayiii'  one 
day,"  went  on  Janet,  "how  we  nane  o'  us 
ken  muckle  o'  ane  anither's  shadows  ;  but 
there 's  twa  sides  to  that,  as  there  maun  be  to 
everything  sae  long  's  there  's  a  hither  an'  a 
yon.  Look  at  thae  twa  bonnie  cloodies," 
pointing  to  where,  at  either  side  of  the  blue 
dome  above  them,  swam  a  soft-piled  vapor 
bank ;  "  what  for,  suppose  ye,  the  ane 's 
white  as  the  driven  snaw,  an'  the  ither  black 
as  deith  itsel'  ?  " 

"  Because  we  are  on  the  sunny  side  of  one, 
and  the  shady  side  of  the  other,"  said  Robin, 
smiling. 

20 


306  HIGH-LIGHTS. 

"Aweel,  apply  that  noo,  as  the  pairson 
says,  to  life  an'  deith,  joy  an'  sorrow  ;  aye  re- 
memberin'  where  we  stan'.  Aye  remember- 
in'  too,  that  whan  we  win  to  the  Lord's  stan'- 
point,  we  shanna  see  things  one-sided  ony 
mair.  '  The  darkness  an'  the  lieht  are  baith 
alike  to  Him  ! '  " 


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INTED    IN    U.S.A.  CAT.      NO.      24       161 


A     000705916     5 


